Divining Rod
by calla lilly rose
Summary: Ponyboy's lost so much and gained so little, but will the remnants of what's left be enough to keep him from imploding upon himself? Sometimes, help is nearer than he thinks - if he'd just know how to listen.
1. A Ripple Persists

A/N: All Rights belong to SE Hinton.

**Divining Rod**

Chapter One

**A Ripple Persists**

XXX

"Think the kid will ever snap out of it?" Steve asked, his eyes squinting in the same direction mine were. Ponyboy was finally making his way across the parking lot, late again like he'd been the whole week.

I held my breath then let out a smoke filled sigh as I tossed my butt away. "Dunno. It ain't been easy on him, that's for sure."

"Shit, like this has been a walk in the park for any of us?"

I looked at him in disbelief, not realizing how cold Steve Randle could be. Months may have gone by, but memories... they stay around a whole lot longer. My hard stare got my point across. He squirmed, ducked his head and pushed himself off the hood of his car.

"Sorry," he mumbled, tossing his butt away as he slid behind the wheel. I acknowledged him with a subtle nod. Ponyboy, thankfully, hadn't heard a word of it.

"What took you so long?" Steve asked, watching him in the rear view mirror as Pony weaved himself into the back seat.

His sarcasm was thick. "My teachers were giving me words of encouragement."

"Meaning?" I wondered.

"Well, let's just say Darry ain't exactly gonna be happy with my report card. I guess my days of good grades are long gone. Shoot, even Soda could probably outgrade me now."

"Coming from you, that must mean you got a B." I laughed.

"Grades ain't everything," Steve remarked, his eyes hard on the road.

"Yeah, tell that to Darry." I watched in the rear view as he rubbed his forehead hard enough to crease his skin, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, the muted rattle of pills was heard as he popped some like Pez candies, swallowing them dry. "Besides, you guys ain't gotta wait. I know the score – if the car ain't here, I'll just go hang out somewhere else for lunch. No big deal."

"And have Darry bust our chops?" Steve retorted. "I don't think so."

"You ain't my sitter," Pony shot back rather hotly.

"Both of you, knock it off. Pony, we ain't gonna leave you... just try to hurry it up, okay kid?"

"Yeah, sure."

Steve's jaw was locked, and I could tell he wanted to say something else. Thankfully, he didn't. I flipped on the radio, letting Aretha Franklin fill the car and hopefully wash out the hostilities that radiated around me. A few minutes later Steve pulled up at the market and we all hopped out. At the register was my favorite cashier... a broad I've been trying to finagle a date from for months. Honey blond with blue eyes and curves that made my jeans tighten just thinking about her … she was everything I wanted, and just as equally unobtainable.

"Hey Madge," I quipped, smiling at her as I sat our drinks and sandwiches on the counter, digging into my pocket for the money.

She eyed me warily. "Two-Bit, I see you're back … again."

"Now darlin, ya can't keep putting me off forever. In your heart, you must know I'm all yours. How bout it? What time can I swing by and pick you up?"

"Ohhh," she said, looking at her watch then back at me, a sweet smile on her face, hopeful tone in her words. "Ten minutes after hell freezes over."

Spurned again. Still, I played along. I looked at my watch and pretended to set the hands. "Aww Madge, I knew one day you'd give in to your deepest desires." She rolled her eyes and handed me the change, then I went to rejoin the others.

Steve shook his head, laughing at me when I slid in across from him. "Crashed and burned again, huh, Two-Bit?"

"Shoot, she's just warming up to me."

"Looked more like she was shooting you down," Ponyboy mumbled as he swigged his drink.

"Last thing I need is dating advice from you." I quipped, trying not to sound so annoyed.

"Why's that?" he asked indignantly.

I cocked an eyebrow and tried to keep the venom out of my tone as I took his cup from his hand, swirling the syrupy mixture. "Whacha drinking there, kid? _Cherry _Coke? Need I say more?"

Steve nearly choked, turning red in the face trying to keep from laughing. Pony smirked back then hopped over the seat, heading to the magazine rack. "Serves the little schmuck right," Steve chuckled, reaching over and taking a bag of chips off the rack without paying. I wasn't gonna say a word, since I had two packs of smokes in my coat pocket too. I looked over in the kid's direction.

"Nah, he'll learn... one of these days. Say, you working tonight or you up for some action?"

"Working." Steve balled up the chip bag then leaned back. "Why? Whassup?"

"Nothing much. Just that, I heard about some drag racing that's gonna be going on down passed the strip mall. One of the guys has some nitrous, so it should be interesting. Thought you'd want to check it out with me."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun... but if I don't show up at work, my check's not gonna be worth squat. I'd better get the hours in." He looked at his watch, then finished his drink. "Hour's bout up. Ready to go?"

"Sure, let's blow this joint. Pony!" I called out loudly, getting disgruntled looks from others nearby. "Head 'em up and move 'em out!"

Me and Steve headed back to the car while Ponyboy lagged behind, following us seconds later with a magazine in his hand.

"Any broads in there?" Steve quipped. I was wondering if he was still trying to rankle the kid, but if he were, Pony didn't bite.

"Huh? Oh. Nope, but uh, the new Mustang is, and an article on MacArthur."

"I thought he was dead?"

"He is," the kid said, his attention given to the magazine. "He's buried in Norfolk, Virginia."

"You're kidding, right?" Steve asked. "The most decorated general of our time, and they didn't plant him in Arlington with the rest of the war hero's?"

"Nup. He's in some museum. There's pictures, if you don't believe me."

"I ain't that interested."

"I am," I said. Both of them looked up. "In the babes. And that Mustang."

Steve grinned and Pony sunk back in the seat, flipping the page. Steve got us back to school for the last few hours of tedium and we all split up again. I thought about cutting, but decided I'd better show up and at least try a little harder to get out of eleventh grade.

"You riding home with us, kid?" Steve asked, grabbing his books from the backseat.

"No. Coach has me doing stuff. I'll be home later."

"I thought running season was over?" I asked, unsure about this.

"It is, but he's got me helping out with some other stuff. I'll get home on my own."

"Alright, but you'd better stay out of trouble!" I called to him as he walked off. He raised his hand without turning around.

"He seem okay to you?" I asked Steve, who looked up as the kid rounded the building.

He shrugged. "Man, don't ask me that. The kid's interested in clouds and sunsets and shit like that. C'mon, I've got class and don't need to be late."

"Yeah... right. See ya, Steve," I called as we parted ways.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	2. Corvus

**Divining Rod**

Chapter Two

**Corvus**

XXX

"Son? School's over for the day... did you miss your bus?"

The custodian was giving me a confused look and I understood why. The last bell had rung a good ten minutes ago and just about everyone was gone except for the custodial staff and the secretary.

"No, but I don't live very far away." A lie, but he wouldn't know that. "Just finishing some work for one of my teachers. Thanks." I shut my locker and headed outside to cross the now empty parking lot then over toward the elm tree at the far corner of the football field. Ducking under the low hanging elm branch, I headed off into the woods on a path I'd found a few weeks ago. I doubted anyone else came out here anymore, considering the growth of weeds along the trail; but when I finally had a chance to follow it all the way out last weekend, I was surprised at what I'd found.

About a mile and a half out I'd found an abandoned rusty trestle with steep slopes on either side that dropped to a creek bed maybe sixty feet below. An overly large _Warning! Do Not Cross!_ sign was nailed into a beam at either side of the trestle, which I used to hang my book bag on as I headed out to the middle then sat down to read my magazine.

Besides the MacArthur article, there was a lot of stuff on the new Mustang. I tried to get into the engine specifics, but in all honesty, it didn't grab me very much. Soda would like it though, I'd have to remember to show it to him later.

Flipping the pages, there was a story about Vietnam. Lately it seemed all the magazines and newspapers had something about that war in them. Even the evening news had broadcasts about it, but Darry'd flip the channels or turn off the set when that segment started up. I wasn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to watch it, or doesn't want me to see it... but either way, off it goes.

It bugged me when he did that. Even my history teacher didn't want to discuss the war – or rather... conflict, as they wanted to call it. I just roll my eyes... conflict, war... American soldiers were dying in big numbers every day in it, semantics didn't make it any easier. But what I didn't get was why nobody wanted to discuss it. After all, kids just a few years older than us were the ones fighting it. Seems we should at least know what it is they are fighting and dying for, cause from what I've gleaned from every article I've read, the answer is different with every one. The whole mess was confusing and just made my head hurt.

I sighed and looked out over the scenery. The warm breeze felt good, summer was almost here. Soon, it would be too hot to sit out like this. Songbirds chirped from the surrounding trees while below me the soft ebb of the water drowned out the subtle noise of the city hidden just beyond the small forest. I tried to read the article on MacArthur again, but my mind kept wandering so I folded the magazine and sat it next to me, then leaned back to look at the clouds as they floated by.

Months had gone by since I'd left Windrixville, but not much had changed. The docs finally said my head was all healed up, but Steve had jokingly laughed that my head wasn't screwed on right in the first place so it didn't matter. I laughed at the joke – even if it was at my expense, since there really wasn't anything I could say about it anyway. Two-Bit had made it clear already... I wasn't like the rest of them. No matter how much I wanted to belong, I didn't.

Now it felt like I didn't belong anywhere. I put my hands behind my head and thought about it, watching the clouds drift by until my eyelids got heavy.

Soda'd carefully offered to go to the cemetery with me one day not long after we'd finished with the court thing, but I'd declined. I didn't tell him I'd already been there on my own, getting Johnny's plot location from the lady in the cemetery office. Soda'd mentioned that none of the guys were allowed, that the Cades' had made it clear that they didn't want any of us at the graveside service. Not that it kept Soda, Steve and Two-Bit from trying, but they only got as far as our parent's headstone. They couldn't very well stop Soda from going to Mom and Dad's grave, so the funeral people couldn't do nothing about it. It was close enough for them to at least see the service, even if they couldn't hear anything that was said.

I'd spent a little while looking for it that day that I'd gone, until I'd painfully realized the bare spot I was standing on had to be it, as the rectangular patch of dirt under my feet was still grassless. It was enough to make me sick, knowing he was there... but forgotten. I vowed one day I'd get him a headstone, just as soon as I could afford it. Johnny'd understand, I was sure of that.

Darry was finally getting back to his old ways. For a while there, all he did was go to work then come home and tool around the house, fixing the gutters or repairing the porch railing while I sat inside trying to catch up on the mountain of homework facing me. At times I felt him pausing to stare at me, like he wanted to say something... but old habits die hard, and eventually he stopped. Now he was going to the gym again as if nothing had ever happened.

Sodapop was over Sandy, at least as far as not moping around in silence about her anymore. He hasn't been out on a date since, and I guessed it's just gonna take longer than I thought it would. In some ways, it looked like he was trying to stay too busy to see anyone, picking up every available hour at the station he could. He laughingly denied it when I'd asked him, saying he was just trying to help with our bills... but I had to wonder. I shook my head, hating it for him. Sodapop deserved someone who could make him happy, and for a while we all thought Sandy was it. Wherever she was, I wondered if she really knew what devastation she'd left in her wake.

Every now and then I'd catch myself looking down the street toward the Cade house, remembering the good times, the bad times, and a whole lot of the miserable times he'd had there. I wondered if being dead was better than the hell he lived through before the fire, but it had to be better than the life he would've lived had he survived.

I've not been back to Bucks, but sitting on the trestle reminded me of that cold night's journey to get there. I shook my head and opened my eyes again, not wanting to remember anymore. Good thing too, as the sky was now a bright orange and darkness was falling. I scrambled up, grabbing my magazine and my book bag, then hustled back through the path to get home.

_Shoot, Darry's gonna skin me!_ I thought as I ran through the forest. This wasn't no short trip, and if I hadn't been in track, I'd never have made it home without having to call for a ride. Still, the porch light was already on when I pulled up, sweating and panting, at my front gate.

"Bout time you showed up. Any excuse?" Darry asked, hands on his sides while glaring at me as I pulled the door shut behind me.

"Sorry," I said, forgetting that was a word he rather hated. "I was studying... lost track of time."

"Uh huh. Go wash up. I'm gonna be working late tomorrow, so you guys are gonna have to take care of yourselves for dinner. Think you can manage?"

"You forget? I'm working until nine tomorrow," Soda reminded him while stirring the gravy then stopped and tossed a grin my way. "Looks like you'll be on your own for a while."

"Which means - homework and not TV, got me, Ponyboy? Don't think I haven't noticed your grades slipping. When's your report card due anyway?"

"In a week or so."

"Ain't you got an essay due?"

I rolled my eyes, wishing he didn't have such a great memory when it came to my assignments. How he kept up with where his next three work sites were and supplies needed for each, on top of working another job while _still_ memorizing my school schedule was beyond me. He needed a hobby, but unfortunately... I think annoying me was it. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" he mocked. I cringed. I never could do anything right when it came to him.

"I still have a few days before it's due though." I didn't mention that the report was half my grade and was seriously running out of time.

"What's it on?" he asked as he handed me plates to set the table with, then pulled them back, looking at my dusty palms. "Didn't I say to go wash your hands? You have track today? I thought you were done with that for the year?"

"No, I didn't have track, but I _was_ out running.. trying to stay in shape," I muttered as I headed to the bathroom to wash up. It was close enough to the truth. "And as for your first question, World War Two."

"That shouldn't be too hard."

"Yeah Ponyboy," Soda said, bringing the food over and sitting down. "You pretty much own the library. You should get that done in a snap."

"Writing ain't that easy, Sodapop."

"Sure it is. Start with one word, then slap another behind it. Then … just keep going! No sweat!"

Trying to explain writing to him was tantamount to him explaining complex engine repair to me. I could change a flat and help with the monthly maintenance, sure ... but the more intricate stuff bored me. And for me to explain how writing was more than just one word following another would equally disinterest him. If anyone, Darry'd probably understand... but by now he was too engrossed with the paper by his side to take notice.

That night, I was back at my studies – finding it increasingly hard to concentrate. Soda, showered and dressed for bed, came in and squirrled under the covers.

"Pony... give it a rest. Flip off the lights and go to sleep."

I shut my book, feeling like this was a lost cause anyway. "Soda, you think Darry would care if I, uh... didn't make honors this term? I mean, I _know_ he'd care," meaning I was sure he'd blow a gasket, "but in the grand scheme of things... that it'd matter?"

Soda leaned on his elbow and looked at me. "Fess up. How bad are ya doing?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Mostly B's I guess."

Soda fell back over onto his pillow. "Kid, you worry too much about stupid stuff. Yeah, Darry's gonna rant and rave for a while, but shoot... I wish I could'a made a few B's in my time. He wasn't all that perfect either, if I remember right. Don't sweat it. Just don't let your grades fall any lower and you should be okay." He rolled onto his other side facing away from me. "I'll talk with him later about it... ease the blow some. Now go to sleep."

I tried. But the swirl of thoughts made it near impossible. Long after Soda had gone to sleep, I slipped out of bed to go look through the medicine cabinet until I found the cough medicine, then went outside to smoke a stick or two until the stuff kicked in. The stars were bright, several constellations easy to see. It made me think of the multitudes of stars I'd shown to Johnny out in Windrixville, and the look he'd have when confusion gave way to understanding when he'd finally see what I was pointing out. I leaned back against the lawn chair and remembered that time, the fun we'd had when underneath it all we were scared to death of the unknowns we were facing.

The reading of_ Gone With The Wind_, exploring Jay Mountain, trying to trap the few rabbits that came along, and watching the stars. All the millions of stars that filled the sky, the lights... twinkling... like ornaments...in... the... distance.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	3. Fawn

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 3

**Fawn**

XXX

"Man, kid... whacha doing out here? Darry kick you out or something?"

I opened my eyes, Two-Bit smirking down at me. "Oh, hey, Two-Bit. No, ain't no one kicked me out. What time is it?"

"Nearly seven. You better get going if you're gonna get to school on time, or are ya turning normal on us and ditching?"

"Heck no, man. I ain't ditching." I got up, scrubbed my face and hair then followed Two-Bit inside.

Darry looked up, coffee cup halted midway to his lips. "What the blazes are you doing outside? I thought you were in the shower." Obviously he didn't know where I was.

"Gimme a minute and I will be," I called over my shoulder as I opened the bathroom door to a steamy fog.

"Oh hey, I was wondering where you'd gone off to. Running?" Soda asked as he wrapped his towel around himself.

I pulled off my shirt. "Nuh uh. Just watching the sun come up."

"You'd better get a move on before you miss your ride," he cautioned as he left the bathroom.

I reached behind the curtain and turned the tap, glad the water was still somewhat hot. It didn't take me long to wash up and go get dressed, but I had to skip breakfast in order to catch a ride with the guys. I wasn't all that hungry anyway.

"We're gonna take the brake system apart today, change the belts too..." Steve was saying to Two-Bit up front. I didn't even try to keep up with their conversation, what with a book on WWII in my hands. I hoped to write something on that paper if I was ever gonna get it done.

"Hey Ponyboy, you planning on hanging out in the car all day?"

I looked up and shut the book. "Sorry."

"Kid, I swear... you ever pay attention?"

"Yeah, I'm just... thinking on some other stuff." I didn't bother listening to the retort Steve was sure to have. I climbed the steps to the building and got lost in the shuffle as I headed off to class.

At lunch, I didn't even bother joining the guys. I'd swiped some chips from the teacher's lounge and headed off to the outside bleachers with a notebook and a pen, getting lost in an outline for my report. Before I knew it, the bell was ringing and I hurried off to my next class - but I didn't quite get there unscathed.

"Where were you?" Steve asked, shoving me into some lockers. I'd forgotten to pass the message I wouldn't be joining the guys for lunch.

"I had something to do. I told you I don't need no sitter and if the car wasn't there, I'd make do on my own."

He glared. "Yeah? Well next time you decide you ain't gonna show, do us a favor and tell someone!" he growled, thunking my forehead with his finger as if it were a melon.

Well, that just made my day better. I was sure any notes I'd taken that afternoon wouldn't make any sense, and by the time the final bell rang, I was more than happy to get out of there. Once more, I headed down the path toward the trestle, swallowing some pills to try to kill my gnawing headache. At least I was able to work in peace, transforming my outline into a rough draft. With any luck, I'd have it done soon. As the larks chirped and the brook gurgled, I managed to get most of my homework finished. I wasn't in a rush to get home, since no one would be there anyway.

I put my books away and leaned back against a support beam, thinking about random stuff, when movement below caught my eye. Staying perfectly still, I watched as a fawn stepped out of the woodline. I froze, amazed. The only time I'd ever seen a live deer was when my folks had taken us to the zoo. This, however, was breathtaking.

Two yards back was its mother, cautiously stepping out into the sunshine behind her fawn. I watched as her ears turned in every direction, seeking any sign of danger. I held my breath hoping she'd come further out, and a few seconds later she did. She and the fawn went to the stream and drank, then a minute later ducked back into the brush and disappeared. I held out, hoping she'd come back but she didn't. As the shadows moved, I gave up and fetched my bag, heading back down the path toward home.

XXX

"Sonny, you looking for the office?" the janitor asked as he looked up from his bucket and mop.

"Nup, just looking for a friend. Say, you ain't seen a kid about this tall with dark gingered colored hair hanging around have you?"

The old man scratched his jaw. "Naw, can't says I have. You young fellers all tend to look alike after awhile, but I ain't seen nobody this afternoon. Watch yer step so's you don't slip and fall."

A grinding frustration gnawed at me. The kid wasn't acting like himself here lately, with no obvious reason why. I looked over at the outside track, but he wasn't there either. I gave up and headed home, hoping the kid was at his place by now and not in some trouble he couldn't get out of.

"Hey Karen," I called out when I got home, knowing my kid sister was in the kitchen. She turned to glare at me but I ignored it. "We got anything to eat round here? I'm starving."

"Two-Bit, why do you always expect me or Ma to have _you_ something to eat?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe because you're so nice or I'm so..."

"Can it," she said dryly, cutting me off. "We ain't your maids, do it yourself."

I humbly said nothing, knowing better than incite the hostilities of my only sister. I made a PB&J and grabbed a pop from the fridge, eating fast then belching loudly. Her back stiffened as she glared at me.

"Gross, Two-Bit. Absolutely neanderthal."

"Naah, _manly_, m'dear little sis."

"How Kathy put's up with you is beyond me."

"Aww, come now. One day you'll find a charmer of your own. I'll have to approve of him, of course..."

"I doubt I'd need it."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Because I don't plan to find a boyfriend with deplorable manners. I wouldn't give him the time of day, let alone my phone number."

I grinned, thinking she had no idea what guys were really like. "You really think all men don't belch and fart, pick our noses and scratch our nuggets when you ladies ain't lookin?"

"_That_ is disgusting," she said with a curled nose. "And no, I doubt all you men are as slovenly as you are. Somewhere there's got to be a decent one."

"Well, here's to the hunt for your future man." I raised my pop in a mock toast. "Good to know my future brother-in-law will be so upstanding! Poor schmuck, he has no idea what he's in for." I laughed as I got up, heading for the stairs. "I'll be up in my executive suite if anyone needs me."

"I wouldn't wait around for someone to come knocking!" she called after me as I hit the stairs two at a time.

XXX

"Ponyboy?"

I looked up from my sketch to see Sodapop standing in the doorway, a not-so-pleased look on his bedraggled frame.

"What did you do to piss off Steve today?"

Oops. "I was working on my essay and forgot to meet the guys. Why?"

"_Why?_ Ponyboy... what's going on in your head? You know the guys were waiting on you. Steve's been a ball of fun to work with tonight, him ragging on you every moment. I finally had to tell him to knock it off."

I smirked. "I wish I could'a seen that."

"It ain't funny, Ponyboy. You knew the guys would be waiting on you. You didn't do this on purpose, did you? You know a paying job ain't something to screw with..."

"Now hold on. If you're asking if I did something to risk his job, then no... I didn't. If you're asking if I stayed behind on purpose, then yeah... I did. It's school work, Sodapop... nothing personal. Both you and Darry were working late, and I have my own work to do... plus I hate hanging around here on my own."

"So you walked to the library instead?"

I hesitated. "No, not exactly. I just... found a different place to study, that's all."

He looked at me funny. "Where?"

I smiled. "Nowhere important. Just a place I found." He looked unconvinced, but I wasn't gonna give up my spot. "I made chili," I said, throwing out a peace offering while trying to change the subject. "I know the weather's too hot for it, but I couldn't think of anything else to make and we're running low on everything. When's Darry gonna go shopping?"

"He gets paid tomorrow." Soda said in a subdued tone. "We'll get some stuff as soon as we can. And as far as the guys go, if you can't meet up with them, at least let them know so they don't blow their lunch hour waiting for you."

I nodded, saying nothing. He knuckled the door twice then turned to head down the hall. The shower faucets squeaked and I knew he'd be back soon. I closed my sketch pad and sat it in my drawer, pausing to see my finished report on WWII laying on my textbook. It was twelve pages and cited just as many resources. At least that was one worry off my mind. One down, way too many to count to go.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	4. A Call To Karen

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 4

**A Call To Karen**

"Yaahhhhhhh!"

Fingers crawled over me like fire ants, digging into my skin in ways only my brothers could know were pure torture. I torqued as if hit by an electric current, jerking all over the bed in a fruitless attempt at escape. Not that they'd know the torment they were putting me through, as I couldn't stop laughing to save my own life.

"Quit! Uncle! Uncle! I give up! Stooooooooopppppp!"

"Ha ha, got him again!" Soda's voice claimed victory.

"Yeah, maybe he'll learn to get up the first time we call him! Ponyboy, you gonna get outta bed now?"

"Yes, yes.. no more... I give up," I continued, trying to catch my breath while panting hard. The bed shifted as Sodapop and Darry got off. I looked over, Soda was combing his hair at the mirror and Darry was already out of the room.

"So, whacha got planned while me and Darry slave away at our jobs?"

"Shoot, I dunno. The place is starting to smell kinda funky, maybe wash the clothes piling up around here."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I'm out of socks again."

I looked at his feet. "Hey, those are mine!"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me borrow them." A screech of tires outside signaled Soda's ride. He grinned at me. "Be thankful I still have some underwear left. Bye!"

I made a face. I might share a room with him and even a bed, but we don't share everything. I disentangled myself from the sheets and headed down the hall. Darry was fixing his sandwiches to take to work and looked up.

"So you _did_ decide to get up, huh? Look, I'm leaving you with the grocery money. Keep in mind that this is all I have until next week, so don't spend it all on chocolate. Meats are usually marked down after two, and check the special's bin over by the seafood counter..."

I sat down, listening to him give me the same speech he gave every time me or Soda went to the grocery store. I already knew the layout, where the sales were, where the discounted canned goods were... but I didn't bother reminding Darry of this. He'd just get annoyed, tell me to pay attention, and start over again.

"Think you can handle it?"

I nodded. "Yep. But how am I gonna get it home?"

"Call Two-Bit when you're ready to go." Darry grabbed his tools and hardhat, handing me a list and a wad of cash. "He said he'd be hanging around."

The house was quiet three minutes later. I looked at the clock, it was barely after seven. _Ain't no way I'm gonna get going this early on a Saturday._ I went back and crashed in bed again, stretching out to all four corners while burrowing beneath the sheets. I didn't come back up until the sun streamed in from the tops of my blinds. The clock said ten, so once again I dragged myself back to life.

Searching under the bed and in the corners of the room, I collected our dirty laundry. There were a few things in the hamper but the majority was sorted into dirty, sorta dirty but could still pass if necessary, and clean. Items that fell into the first two categories went to the washroom. The other stuff I put away. While Soda's and my clothes were a seek -and- find adventure, Darry's was more straight to the point. His clothes were always put away; the dirty in the hamper and the clean in the drawers.

While that was going, I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen some. When it came time, I cycled the clothes... wet into the dryer, dry onto the couch to sort and fold later. Around one, I pocketed the cash and headed to the supermarket.

I'd long ago gotten accustomed to the looks adult shoppers gave me. Usually they were older women with little kids of their own trailing behind them up and down aisles. Still, I got lost in my own little world, picking out the cheapest canned goods, going over the reduced-for-quick-sale meats, and perusing the fruits and vegetables for anything marked down. In time, I had a basket full that should last us a week or so and headed to the checkouts.

After bagging it and rolling the buggy to the phone booth on the corner, I called Two-Bit for the ride home.

"_Hello?_"

"Oh, hey Karen. Is Two-Bit home? It's me, Ponyboy."

"_No, he ain't here. Him and Kathy are out. Said he'd be home tonight though. Anything I can do?"_

I looked at the basket, knowing I'd never get it home on my own. "No, just.. if he calls or something, tell him I called. Okay?"

"_Sure Ponyboy. Bye."_

I hung up, chewing on a nail as I tried to figure out what to do next. I called the station, getting Ben, one of the other guys working with Sodapop and Steve.

"_DX, Ben speaking."_

"Hey Ben. Is Sodapop there?"

"_Yeah, but he's in the pit. Want me to take a message?"_

I winced, knowing my other option was probably still mad at me for yesterday. Still, another glance at the cart and I'd rather take my chances. "How about Steve?"

"_Nope. He left to tow someone. Anything I can do for ya, Ponyboy?"_

I sighed. "I wish, but unless you can leave the station for a bit, I don't think so."

"_Sorry kid. I can't go nowhere till quitting time."_

I tried Tim's number, wondering if Curly might help, but ever since he got out of Juvie after breaking into the liquor store, he's not been the same. I was pretty sure he was on something, but just not sure what. Didn't matter, no one was answering anyway. I called Karen back.

"Hey, Two-Bit didn't magically call, did he?" I doubt I hid the sarcastic desperation in my voice well enough.

"_No,"_ she laughed. _"What's up? You sure there ain't nothing I can do?"_

"Only if you don't mind hauling a lot of canned goods and cold meat."

Fifteen minutes later she hopped off the bus carrying two backpacks in her hand. "Here, I thought this might make it easier on us."

"Smart thinking." And it was. I'd never have thought about bringing backpacks to carry some of this stuff in. Together, we looked like mountain climbers with huge packs on our backs and our arms loaded with two sacks each, but we managed. "That ain't too heavy for ya, is it?" I didn't want her to have to carry the heavier stuff, but I was already straining under my own load.

"Nah. I can manage."

I didn't usually hang out with her, being that she's thirteen and in seventh grade. By rights, I'd only be in eighth grade myself if luck – or fate, depending on how you look at it hadn't intervened.

"You looking forward to summer?" I asked, simply to be saying something.

"Yeah. Anything to get me away from teachers and books for a while. You?"

"Same here. I was hoping to get a job, but so far I haven't found anything that might pan out."

"Darry won't let you go to work?"

"I haven't asked him." I didn't explain that Darry gets kind of angry when anyone insinuates he can't pay our bills. The battle he and Sodapop had when Soda decided to quit so he could work full time still hits a raw nerve in me.

"You're smart, I'm sure you can find something."

I grinned, a little embarrassed. "Thanks. Here's our stop." I pulled the string and the driver pulled over. We managed to get the bags home without dropping anything and while I put the stuff away, she hung around in the living room. I'd forgotten our clean clothes were still piled on the couch, underwear and all.

"Jeeze, sorry bout that," I muttered, feeling my face get hot as I scooped up the clothes and took them to my room, dumping them on the bed.

"It's okay. You forget, I do the laundry at my house. Two-Bit's such a slob."

"He doesn't wash his own stuff?" I asked, never having thought about it before.

"Shoot no. I doubt he even knows where the machines are."

"Well, I uh," I rubbed the back of my neck, not really sure what to do next. "Thanks for helping me out. I really owe you..."

She waved me off. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I was bored hanging around the house all day. It gave me a reason to go outside. But, I sort of have to get going..." she threw her thumb over her shoulder at the door, and stepped backwards to leave.

"Yeah, and I'd better get to that laundry done before my brothers show back up."

I watched as she headed up the street to her place then went to my room, flipped on the radio and started in on the mountain of clothes waiting on me.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	5. Cumulonimbus

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 5

**Cumulonimbus**

XXX

There were dark clouds overhead. We'd get some rain later, probably before dinner judging by how heavy the air felt, and I probably should be going home … but I didn't move. I kept staring at my report. I'd gotten a 93 on it. A good grade by class standards, but not good enough for Darry. I'd make an A for the term, but only pull a B for the year. I'd have needed nothing less than a 97 in order for the average to be high enough, and I didn't quite get there. It was like that in most of my other subjects too. My teachers all seemed pleased that I was doing so well, considering how badly my grades plummeted after last Autumn; but they didn't judge me like he did. I knew as soon as my report card came in, he'd be furious.

However, there was nothing I could do about it. The year was all but over. Grades were already finalized and report cards would go out tomorrow with the last day of school. I stared at the clouds, feeling as heavy as they looked.

Below me, a slight rustling obscured the subtle gurgling of the brook. The fawn came back into view with her mother behind her. Cautiously they stepped out and dipped their heads into the water, and when a distant horn blew - the mother reacted with a sharp turn of her head. Her ears swiveled while the fawn stood poised to jump wherever its mother went. Another moment passed and the doe relaxed, leaning down to drink again. The fawn calmed as well, jumping over the stream to investigate the other side. I watched, entranced as it checked out the wild flowers growing along the bank.

For a while, I sat there watching the deer, forgetting my grades and other worries until the doe alerted again, shook and gave a bleat as it turned into the woods. The fawn followed, hopping over the water and prancing off after its disappearing mother. I didn't know what had worried her until a fat raindrop fell on my hand. Thunder rumbled low in the distance and I knew it was time to head home as well.

XXX

"See anything?"

"No."

A crack of thunder sounded, rattling the house. I finished setting the table and went to peer out into the rainy darkness. "I could go look for him, see if I can find him."

Darry gave me a hard look. "You'd either run him over or pass him, considering how hard it's coming down. Besides, by now he's already soaking wet. You sure he didn't mention anything about staying out late?"

I shook my head. "No Darry, he didn't. But it's possible. Tomorrow's the last day of school. It ain't like he's got homework tonight or nothing."

Darry stiffened, putting his hand on the doorjam as his eyes narrowed. Following his eyes, I saw a figure running toward the house from across the street. Seconds later Ponyboy was dripping on our porch, soaking wet just like Darry guessed, with mud caking his left leg.

"I'll get you a towel," I called through the screen.

Darry was already chewing him out when I got back. Pony stood there, saying nothing while looking like a drowned rat. His muddy clothes either stuck to his skin or hung off him, his hair lay in flattened tufts, and all around him was a puddling ring of raindrops on the floor. Darry'd let him inside, but he didn't get any further than the doorway.

"Ain't you got enough sense to get out of the rain?"

"I tried, Darry. I ran all the way home."

"Uh huh. Those big black clouds didn't clue you in that a storm was coming _before_ the storm hit, now did they?" Darry's sarcasm was thick.

"It ain't like I was begging to get caught in a flood," he snapped back. This was starting to get ugly.

"Here, Ponyboy." I handed him a towel. While he dried off, I gave Darry a stern look. He was still peeved, but he backed off.

"Go take a shower then come eat." Pony wisely let Darry have the last word while sidestepping around to go shower. I silently got another towel to soak up the puddle on the floor; knowing this wasn't the time to try to cheer anyone up. He was safely home... that's what mattered, but Darry was too stubborn to see it that way. He didn't wait, sitting down to eat while the shower ran in the bathroom. I sat down too but took my time, dragging it out so Pony wouldn't have to eat alone. Darry finished just as Pony sat down.

"I made mashed potatoes, no mix... the real spuds. Lemme know if I put too much butter in them."

"I'm sure they're fine."

"How was school? Tomorrow's your last day, ain't it?"

"Yep."

"I take it that means your report card will be coming home tomorrow too, won't it?" Darry asked, overhearing us from the kitchen.

Pony sunk in his chair. "Yeah, it'll be here tomorrow," he answered, followed by a barely audible, "but you ain't gonna like it." I swallowed hard, thinking I probably understood what that meant.

"What was that?" Darry asked.

"Nothing."

"Pone?" I whispered, trying to catch his eyes. He looked at me but shook his head and got up. He slid his plate into the fridge and headed off to our room. _Boy oh boy, what a mess_. I got up and scraped my plate for Darry to wash.

"You ain't got to rag on him like that," I whispered.

"Soda, don't start. He needs to start paying attention to what's going on around him."

"You're right, he does … but screaming at him about it ain't gonna work."

"Then tell me what does! Even untrained dogs know to get inside when it rains! He's smart enough to know better."

"_Please _don't do that," I winced, not liking where this was headed. "Pony ain't dense, he just gets preoccupied with other stuff."

"And what would that 'other stuff' be?" Darry grumbled, his hands swirling the sponge around the dishes below the steaming soapy water.

"Girls, maybe?" I tried, smiling... but he obviously didn't think that was funny. "I dunno ... he's been worried about something lately, but he ain't telling me what. I don't think he's happy with his school work... his grades might not be, ya know, up there this time."

Darry stopped and looked at me. "You know something I don't?"

I shook my head. "Only that he's had a hard time getting his grades back up since last September. I don't think he's failing nothing, but I wouldn't go expecting all A's this time."

Darry looked like he'd just hammered his own thumb, anger mixed with pain. "He's had plenty of time to get those grades up."

"Are numbers all that matter to you? How about the effort he's put into it? Doesn't that count for something?"

Darry looked at me as if I'd just asked him if two plus two was four. "Yeah, Soda.. it counts. What are you getting at?"

"That his grades might not reflect the effort he's put into the work, but he _has_ tried. It's been a tough year for him, the toughest he's had. He's worked his rear end off to bring his grades back up, but it might not have been enough to make honors. Just remember, there's more to life than making the honor's list. Not even you made it every term, if I remember right."

"I'm not Ponyboy."

I grinned. "No, you're not. And by the same token, he ain't you. So stop expecting him to be perfect, cause neither of you are."

Darry said nothing as he finished up the dishes.

"Ya know, he admires you, more than you know."

Darry chuckled. "Bull shit."

"Nup. Really, he does. Sure, he confides in me, but you're the one he tries to please. Kinda like how you and Dad were. We all knew Mom loved us unconditionally, no matter how badly we'd screw up. But to get Dad's seal of approval, you had to earn it. Pony... I don't think he got that, not from Dad. But he's trying. Trying with you."

"I ain't Dad."

"Nope, you ain't," I agreed, stretching, brushing my fingertips along the ceiling. I was tired and ready for bed. "But he still needs approval, from someone he looks up to. He's already got mine, but my approval ain't what he wants. It's yours. Remember that tomorrow, before you tear into him about his grades."

"Good night, Sodapop," Darry said with finality, letting the water out of the sink then drying his hands on a towel.

I went to wash up and went back to my room. Pony was looking at his sketchbook but closed it when I came in and shut the door. He flipped off his lamp and moved over some.

"You guys done fighting about me?"

"Nah, we weren't fighting. Didn't hear any furniture crashing against the walls, now did ya?"

"Nope."

"I told you I'd try to ease the blow some. You really think you did that bad?"

"Dunno. But if it ain't perfect, he ain't gonna like it."

I ruffled his hair. "Just remember, no matter how bad ya did, you still did better than me." I could see a faint grin on his face from the porch light outside as I slid in next to him. "Pony..." I faltered, wanting to ask him something but unsure how.

He turned some. "Yeah?"

"You ain't, um, hanging around with Curly, are you?" Darry was the first to tell me Curly was doing coke. I didn't want to believe it, but there were signs even I couldn't avoid. He'd been by the DX a time or two, his eyes huge and seemed unusually edgy for no apparent reason. Then Steve'd spotted it, jutting out his chin as Curly'd left.

_"Cocaine. What a waste."_

Tim had given him the boot out of their house, but the few times he'd gone back, Angela, their sister, had locked the doors until Tim came around to tell her it was clear. If Tim and Angela didn't want him around, I didn't want Ponyboy around him either. Darry agreed with me wholeheartedly.

"Curly? No. He never came back to school after he got out of juvie. I heard he was around, though."

"Stay away from him. That's a kind of trouble you don't want and we don't need."

Pony turned and looked at me. "How bad is it?"

"Bad, Ponyboy. Real bad. Just stay away from him, got me?"

He nodded and turned on his side again. I put my arm around him and pulled some and he moved closer to me. I don't know which of us fell asleep first, but neither of us moved for a long time.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	6. Colliding Forces

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 6

**Colliding Forces**

XXX

"Rack 'em up."

So far, I was winning. Problem was, the guy I was playing didn't seem to _like_ that I was winning. Either way, I knew this was a no-win situation, since even if I didn't take the money, he was still losing face with his friends – of which I wasn't a part of. And by this time, losing on purpose wouldn't have done me no good neither, since it was kinda obvious I was somewhat good at pool. I didn't know this a half hour ago when I wandered in right after school'd let out; I was simply trying to avoid going home for whatever time I could. The guy who owns the joint let us in all the time, since the booze didn't start flowing from the tap until after dark. Besides, the only pool I had played up to this point had been with Johnny, who was just as much an amateur as I was; and Two-Bit, who was often so drunk he'd miss the cue ball half the time. I hadn't had much practice at it. Still, I like having my face unbroken, so I tried to lose... subtly. Didn't work.

"What the hell do you take me for? A fool?"

_Good grief, I didn't even take you for an opponent! _Idiot here and his stooges had asked if I wanted to join them, not the other way around. Still, I was bored and didn't see no harm in it at the time, so I said, "sure, why not," and stupidly agreed to the dime wager per game. I figured three games down the line and I'd be done and on my way... not facing a pissed off guy who was probably the _only_ guy worse at pool than I was. I backed up as the three guys tossed down their sticks and stepped toward me.

"Uh, no."

Okay, so strong retorts against bigger and more numerous opponents have historically never been my forte. I made a play for the door but one of them grabbed me from behind and slammed me headfirst into the wall, then whirled me around and smashed his fist into the side of my face. I wasn't sure which I noticed first, the smell of my own blood or the taste of it in the back of my mouth. Not that I really had time to think, he was already in motion to hit me again.

I blocked the next blow with my left and planted my right into the middle of his chest. He stumbled back but the other guys had decided to join in the fun too. Thankfully, someone … the owner I think, came over and grabbed the two and pulled them back.

"Kid, you got any brains in that head of yours, you'd get outta here now."

_Good idea. _I grabbed the doorknob and tore out. I didn't stop running until I was three blocks away and sure no one was following me. "Crap!" I muttered, feeling the swelling on my cheek. What a way to start the summer!

I wandered up to the ribbon for a while, wiping the blood dripping from my nose until it finally stopped. The shopping center was across the street so I weaved my way through oncoming cars, getting honked at by a majority of them with flocks of birds flying through many open windows. Inside, I went to the men's room to clean up then went back to the counter and had a seat.

"What can I get you?"

"Coke float with chocolate ice cream," I answered, pulling out the dimes I'd won from my pocket. If nothing else, I was gonna get something good for all my pain. She looked at me with uncertainty before going behind the counter to fix it.

"What happened to you? Fall out of a window or something?"

I turned, surprised at who I saw. "Oh, hey Karen. Whacha doing down here?"

"Nothing much. Last day of school... don't want to go home... pick any reason, it doesn't matter. So, what gives with the face?"

"This?" I asked, pointing at my eye. "Nothing much. I was just helping out a future Ali opponent prepare for his next big match. You know I'm all about preparation," I said with a teasing smile.

She looked at me seriously then shook her head. "Right."

"One chocolate Coke float. You miss?" the waitress asked as she sat handed me my drink.

"Strawberry malt."

I put a few more dimes on the counter and the waitress went to get Karen's drink.

"You didn't have to pay, I have a little money," she said, looking offended.

"It's twenty cents, I think I can afford it. Besides, I still owe you for helping me out with the groceries."

The waitress came back, setting the other cup on the counter then went back to her spot. I noticed she was giving us strange looks, not sure if we – or maybe just me alone, was planning on robbing the place. "Look, it ain't you, but I think I'd better split."

She looked around and nodded. "Icy reception around here, huh? Yep, time to go."

I pocketed the rest of my dimes, grabbed a napkin and stood up to leave. Karen came along, malt in hand. "So, you're done with seventh grade, huh?" I asked as we walked along.

"Finally, thank God. What a hassle. Bunch of jerks, the lot of them. How bout you? I bet high school is a blast."

I shrugged. "It's got its ups and downs. I like having different classes to go to, breaks up the monotony a lot. But the work is a lot harder.. with more homework too. Each teacher thinks they're the only one's handing out homework, so I come home with a lot of assignments to do."

"I can't wait," she said, smiling some.

"Trust me, enjoy what you have now. It'll be here soon enough."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, don't start sounding like Two-Bit. One know-it-all is enough for me."

We passed by a storefront and I caught my reflection in the window. The swelling was worse now than it was back in the john. I stopped and gingerly fingered the bruising, both my cheeks swollen – one from the wall, the other from that guy's fist. My nose didn't look right either, but now wasn't the time to figure out why.

"What, you haven't noticed yourself?" Karen said with a chuckle.

"It's nothing," I said, shrugging it off. Deep down, however, my face was really starting to hurt! I had no idea how I was gonna explain this to Darry. Then I remembered my report card, and felt a double whammy. Maybe he'd see I'd already had a beating and take it easy. Afterall, three months of house confinement wasn't so bad. "But I'd better head home before my brothers get there."

"Yeah, Ma's got to go in tonight. Man, I hate it when she works at The Barnyard. Those guys are trouble. Real trouble."

We rounded the street heading up into our neighborhood. "What kind of trouble?"

"It ain't nothing," she said with a shrug. I wasn't buying it and she knew it, giving me an insolent look. "Really, it's just, she usually works at Whiskey Pete's. They have a pretty tough bouncer that makes sure the women aren't hassled. He'd throw anyone out no matter how much money they lay on the counter. But at The Barnyard, the bouncer just makes sure no one robs the place or starts fights. The waitresses are on their own. Ma spends half her time smacking the hands of jerks who think they are entitled. Her tips are always down."

"Then why does she work there?" I was ever so grateful my mother didn't have to work in a bar when she was alive. Dad supported all of us. Times weren't easy, but they weren't all that bad either.

"Summer's here," she said like that was supposed to explain it to me. It didn't, and as we neared her yard she explained further. "Most of the regulars are heading out of town for vacations, so Pete cuts everyone's hours to make up for lost revenue. She takes this other job just to make ends meet until fall rolls around. It's what she does. It ain't my place to made a scene about it."

I understood that. Darry's been working at the warehouse to make up for bad weather days for as long as he's been in charge of us. I nodded. "See ya around, Karen."

"Yeah, bye Ponyboy."

XXX

"Hey, look who happened to find his way home again." Steve was lounging on our couch with a beer in his hands when I came in. One look my way gave him something new to rag on me about. "Ooooh, looks like he ended the year with a bang!"

"What happened to you?" Darry asked, coming over to take a look for himself.

"Got into a fight. It wasn't no big deal, I'm fine."

"Yeah, well your face says different. Go wash up. Is your nose broken?"

"How would I know?"

"Nah, the kid's fine, Darry. If his nose was broke, he'd feel it." Steve took another pull on his beer. "So, Ponyboy, did you manage to do any damage to your opponent at all?"

"It wasn't all one sided," I answered, looking in the mirror at myself.

"Meaning, he lost," Steve laughed.

"Not exactly," I sneered. "I ain't a total pushover."

"Oh yeah?" he laughed, his eyebrows up. I knew what was coming. He tried to tackle me but I hooked his arm and flung him on the couch. He was totally shocked that I'd managed it … and frankly, so was I. Obviously, he didn't like me one-upping him as when he came back, he came back livid.

"You little piece of shit!" he said just before he tackled me in the midsection, knocking me not just down but into the coffee table where white pain hit me like lightening. I heard Darry's deep bellow and Soda's commanding yell screaming at us from everywhere, but was too involved in blocking Steve's punches while trying to land some of my own to listen. Then Soda had me under the arms, his fists locked against my chest as he pulled me away. Darry, likewise, had Steve; not bothering to stop as he towed him outside.

"_Don't, _Steve... don't even try it!" I heard Darry command, not sure what was going on anymore.

"You okay?" Soda asked, his tone filled with anger. Blood gushed from my nose again and my side was still smarting something fierce from where I'd hit the coffee table, anything else was masked by my adrenaline.

"Get off me, Sodapop, I'm fine!" I spat out hotly as I jerked away. My lower back was screaming and I clamped my hand on it while stumbling to get up.

Darry came back in, one of the hinges on the door popping off in the process. "What the hell was that all about?" he demanded.

"Cool it, Dar," Soda insisted. "Ponyb..."

"Just leave me alone!" I demanded. I didn't want to _talk _to anyone, I didn't want to _see _anyone, and I sure didn't want to be interrogated either. In the two seconds of silence that ensued, I tried to make a run for the door, but Darry caught me.

"Oh no you don't."

I struggled against him, but by now the adrenaline was gone, and with it my strength. Darry wasn't fighting me as much as he was batting my hands away while still trying to contain me. Still, I broke free of his grip and went to my room, slamming the door so hard the pictures hanging on the other side of the wall fell. I heard Darry mutter a curse followed by Soda's mutterings too, certain they were bemoaning my childish behavior and quite possibly how I was the root cause of all the evil that befell us. I wanted out but felt trapped in my room like a little kid, being punished for picking a fight.

_This is bullshit,_ I thought. I slid the window open and hopped out, jumped the fence and took the long way around the block so as to not be seen in front of the house. I needed to get away for a while; come back when things calmed down. Not that they ever would. Picking a fight with Steve was dangerous, even if I wasn't the one to pick it.

I scooped up a long twig as I walked along, slashing and swiping at the weeds while thinking things over. It was more a _reaction_ than an action, my flipping Steve like I did. Then when he came back at me, it was pure defense. I doubted Sodapop would ever see it that way. Not that Steve's opinion mattered very heavily in my mind - but for a short while our relationship was less a tag-along and more a quasi-buddy sort of existence. But I was sure by now I'd been moved several notches down on his friendship scale. Still, I hoped that if Mr. Randle got drunk, Steve'd still find our couch a better alternative than his father's abuse. As long as he didn't come at me again, I had no problem with him.

I snorted and spat out the blood that had been pooling in my throat. My nose hurt, my face stung, and now my sides and chest were smarting too. I eased onto the trestle and sat down, feeling hot tears build and fall as I wondered how bad things were gonna get before they ever got better.

"Why, Johnny... why?"

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	7. Fighting Predictability

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 7

**Fighting Predictability**

XXX

"Damn it to hell!" Darry turned when the old picture frames shattered after Pony slammed the door. "What exactly was that about? Well?"

"Would you calm down!" I scratched my head, trying to figure it out for myself. Darry righted one of the chairs while I righted another, still blown away at what'd just happened. "I'm just as lost as you are! I mean, I know those two aren't tight or nothing, but I thought they'd at least gotten past some stupid feud they'd had."

"Soda, you know I'd never toss the guys out on their keisters when they have nowhere else to go, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let anyone come in here and just whale away on either of you like that. Roughhousing is one thing, but that... that weren't..."

"I know Darry... I know."

Darry pushed the coffee table back to where it belonged and started picking up the glass from the frames. "Soda, you'd better set Steve straight ... because if he _ever_ comes here and pulls that stunt again, I'll personally beat the tar outa him myself. And don't tell me he was boozed up. He'd only had_ half _that beer, and it takes more than that to souse him."

"Lordy have mercy, what party did I miss?" Two-Bit was whistling low on the porch, his head sticking inside the doorway.

"This really ain't the time, Two-Bit," Darry said rather bluntly. "I don't think we're gonna be in the mood for company tonight. Take whatever poker game you planned and hit the road."

Two-Bit looked at me. "Steve and Pony got into it. Hey, you don't happen know why Pony was all messed up earlier, do ya?"

"What?" he said, the confusion genuine as he stepped inside. "Something happen to the kid?"

"Two-Bit," Darry looked up at him, broken pieces of glass in hand. "Really, do I have to repeat myself? Go!"

Two-Bit looked at me and ducked out. I followed, grabbing a pack of smokes on the way.

"What's got his blood pressure up?" Two-Bit asked, jutting his chin back toward our door once we were out of hearing range.

"Man, Pony came home all bruised up... I guess he'd been in a fight. Steve started messing with him and before we knew it, they were going at each other full throttle. Darry grabbed Steve and threw him out while I got ahold of Pony and held on."

"No kidding?"

I nodded, sucking in a deep draw off the stick and let it out. "Yep. In fact, you just missed it. Now I get the fun job of patching things up with Steve while coaxing whatever happened out of Ponyboy."

"Good luck with that."

I smirked. "Thanks."

"So... where's the kid?" he asked, looking behind me.

"He stormed off to our room."

He cocked his eyebrow. "You sure bout that?"

"I watched him..." I turned and looked at the side of the house, noticing the bent blinds sticking out of our gaping window. "Ah shit!" I took the steps two at a time and sailed past Darry.

"_Now_ what's going on?"

I didn't bother answering him. "Ponyboy?" I tried the knob, but it was locked. "Ponyboy Michael, are you in there? C'mon Ponyboy, open up!" I shut my eyes tight, hoping and begging that he was just being rebellious. He wouldn't leave... not again … would he? Darry pulled me back, my concern matching the expression Darry himself wore. This couldn't be happening again, could it?

"Ponyboy," Darry demanded in a steady but determined tone, "open up." Three seconds later, Darry had the insides of a pen being shoved into the hole in the knob, popping the lock like a key. The room was empty, a few papers fluttered on his desk from the window's breeze. "Damnit, remind me to put bars on those windows, will ya?"

I was too anxious to form an answer.

"Any ideas where he'd be?"

"None," I managed to say. He went in and looked around but there was no sign, no note. "I'm sorry, Dar ... I was stupid … I should've stayed with him."

"Can it, Sodapop, this ain't your fault. Two-Bit still here?"

"Yep, still here," Two-Bit chimed in from outside. I rolled my eyes. This was just the kind of action Two-Bit lived for – of course he'd stick around.

"Get your ass in here, numb-nuts," Darry demanded then turned to me. "You and Two-Bit start driving around looking for him. I'll head out to the ribbon. Maybe if we're lucky, one of us will spot him."

"Hey, before you go," Two-Bit interrupted, "... if you happen to see Karen, tell her she'd better get home too."

"Fine," Darry said, pushing past us to leave. "Soda, if you find him, _stay_ with him. You got me?"

"You ain't gotta tell me twice."

XXX

The doe and her fawn were below, eating the grasses and sniffing around. I didn't know if they'd detected me or not, but since they never looked up I guessed I was hidden to them. Admittedly, I didn't know much about deer, and I'm sure Disney didn't exactly have it down to a science either. Still, they were a pleasant distraction from my problems. Suddenly, the doe alerted, standing rigid on her legs. She gave a bleat and the fawn scrambled ahead of its mother into the cover of the woods. I was sorry to see them go, but glad too. I was more than a little stiff, having not moved since they came into sight.

My body hurt. _Steve can really pack a punch, _I thought ruefully as I rubbed my sore side. I'd finally given up trying to decide if my nose was broken or not, coming to the conclusion that it wasn't. Still, it was sore as hell. If I'd had a mirror, I was pretty sure the guy I'd see looking back wouldn't be anyone I'd recognize.

I had blood all over my shirt, thanks to my nose. The gnats were starting to swarm, annoying me. I hated this. I didn't want to go home, I couldn't stay out here. I didn't want to worry my brothers who by now had to have noticed I wasn't in my room any more. And whatever trouble I was in because of my grades had paled to the trouble I was in when I came home already messed up... and _that_ trouble was nothing compared to the fix I was in for fighting with Steve. Compound that with hopping out the window... yeah, I was in a world of trouble.

Clouds filled the sky, ending my silent battle. I got up and headed back down the path, hoping I'd at least get dinner privileges while enduring house arrest. I smirked, figuring Darry'd get his hands on a ball and chain to attach to my leg. Then as I made my way out of the clearing, my smile faded. I was headed back to face the music, and was pretty sure the tune wouldn't be sweet.

XXX

I was angry at myself for forgetting the cardinal rule... _runners run_. When frustrated, they run. When angry, they run. When bored, they run. When their big brother holds them down after getting into a fight with friends... they run even faster. One way or another.. he was gonna run, and I should have seen that coming.

Like most other drivers out on the ribbon tonight, I drove slow, searching the crowds. The difference between us was that while most of the other male drivers were looking for girls, I was searching for my brother. Searching... but not finding. I worried mostly that he really was here but I'd somehow missed him. The frustration boiled over after my third pass and I veered left at the last intersection, heading off in a new direction toward the DX.

A few miles up was the darkened campus of the high school. I couldn't help feeling that since the day I left that place, my life had gone downhill. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I'd worked my rear end off and graduated with a scholarship to attend Oklahoma State! I should be completing my first year already and maybe living in a dorm, partying it up and getting cozy with some cheerleader, a scarf tied to my door for the night. Instead, I was here, once again roaming aimlessly in a desperate attempt to find... Holy hell, was that him? I flicked on my high beams and lit up some kid walking with an all-too-familiar slouching gait. I felt an immediate warm flood of relief.

"Get in," I said as I pulled up next to him. He gave me a slight look but slid in without an argument. I gripped the steering wheel, wondering how I should handle the next ten seconds of time. He settled it for me.

"I didn't mean to worry you," he said sullenly, looking only at his knees. "I just needed some space."

I glanced at him, seeing the various bruises on his chin as well as the black eye taking shape. His shirt was a mess, bloodied and filthy. "You hurt?" I managed.

"Nah, I'll be fine."

I turned the corner and headed up our street, stopping in front of our house. "You go on and get cleaned up. I'll call around and see if I can find Sodapop, let him know you're home."

He went inside and I followed, flipping on the porch light. I made a few calls but couldn't find where the guys were, gave up and went to find something for us to eat. I settled on soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It was ready by the time Pony came back to the table, the cut on his cheek still bleeding a little. I got the first-aid box out and sat next to him.

"That cut on your face from a fist or something else?"

"Which one?" he answered, fingering the small gash on his cheek.

"Hands off. You want it to get infected?" I poured some rubbing alcohol on some cotton, then pressed it to his face. He flinched but didn't pull away. Then I taped a small band-aid to it. None of his other scrapes were bleeding so I left them alone. I sighed, resting my cheek in my fist and looked at him. "So, you gonna fill me in on what happened today?"

"Like I said earlier, I got into a fight."

Uggghhhh! Sometimes with him it was like pulling straws! I resisted the urge to throttle him, seeing as how he'd been throttled enough for one day. "Ponyboy, just... tell me what happened. _Who_ were you fighting, where..."

"Round one was at the pool hall. I won, the guy didn't like losing and let me know it. You were here for round two with Steve. Didja find Sodapop?"

I wasn't sure if he was trying to change the subject or if he felt he just needed Soda's assurance. Still, I wasn't going to be put off. "No, he's still out looking for you. This pool hall, the guy use anything on you? Heaters, sticks... bust a bottle over your head?"

"No, his fist was enough."

I shook my head, grateful for small blessings. "How bout Steve? He hurt you bad? You went into that table plenty hard."

"No," he answered softly. "I'm fine."

I relaxed and dipped my sandwich into my soup. He sat there, chewing his food slowly. A thought came to mind, making me chuckle. "Pool huh?"

"Yeah," he answered without emotion. Then he surprised me when he quietly asked, "Where's Steve?"

My humor vanished. "No idea. And frankly, tonight.. I don't care."

Outside, the familiar sounds of a poorly tuned engine got closer then quit. Two squeaky doors slammed shut followed by Soda and Two-Bit stampeding inside.

"Ponyboy," Sodapop exclaimed, his relief audible.

"Hey kid, glad to see ya," Two-Bit smiled from the doorway, tossing his keys in the air. "Okay, now that your lost sheep has come home, I gotta go see if mine did too. Night all."

"Thanks, Two-Bit," I called.

Soda sat down, grabbing one of the by-now cold sandwiches to eat. He looked from Pony to me, waiting.

"You want some ice on that eye?" he asked.

"Nah. Its already as swollen as it's gonna get. Here, might as well get this over with."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out something, tossing it in the middle of the table. I took it and opened it, his report card. What with all the other things going on, I'd forgotten about it. Four B's, two A's. Overall GPA for the year, a B plus. I sat it down and looked at him, not knowing what to say at this point. My disappointment was obvious, but seeing the shape he was in made anything I could say about it pointless. He was disappointed too.

"Sorry, Darry. I did the best I could."

All I could see were weeks of endless study, tons of make-up work, assignments poured over for hours ... all that effort down the drain. He was better than a B, but like Soda had said... last September did him in. He got up and put his bowl in the sink then went to his room.

Soda picked up the dropped report card and looked it over. "Jeeze, I think it's pretty good. Not his best, but still..." He looked at me and lowered his voice. "Go to him, Darry. Tell him something good about it."

"Soda I -"

"_Now_, Darry. He needs to hear it from you."

Fighting my better judgment, I went to his room. He was looking at his sketchpad when I stepped in his room and quickly closed the cover. "I know what you're gonna say. I should have done better, that I wasted too much time, that there's no exc-"

"The year's over," I deadpanned. "Crying over it now won't fix anything. Just... try to do better next year. Get to bed. It's late." He nodded, saying nothing more. When I went back to the kitchen, Soda was already finishing up the few dishes and wiping the counter.

"He okay?"

"He'll have a whopper of a black eye and I doubt that cut will-"

"Darry," Soda said, looking at me in disbelief. "Is he _okay_?"

"He's been through worse, Sodapop. He'll be fine."

Soda made a face and shook his head, then without a word went to bed.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose

A/N: Sometimes, the directions only make sense after the voyage has been taken.


	8. Slack Tide

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 8

**Slack Tide**

XXX

"Soda, c'mon buddy, we gotta get to work."

I stretched, not really feeling like going in today. Unfortunately, this wasn't high school and skipping wasn't an option. Next to me, Pony was on his side, his arm having flopped off the bed during the night like he was trying to hail a cab in his sleep. I'd hoped to talk with him this morning but shrugged it off, letting him do what Darry and me couldn't. Sleep in.

I got dressed and met Darry in the living room. "Here," Darry thrust a baggie in my hands as we headed out the door. "I made your egg and jelly sandwich. Hope you like grape, we're out of apple."

"It'll do until we can get some grocery."

"See ya tonight, don't blow nothing up," he grinned as he dropped me off at the station.

"And you'd better not fall off no roofs. Later, Dar." I waved as he disappeared, then fished in my pocket for the keys to the door.

XXX

The hickey was still very visible and Ma would have a field day if she saw it. Sorta why I'd been playing cat and mouse with her for two days now, singing way off key in the shower so she'd hear me, slamming the door as I came and went so my presence would be felt... just not seen. My sis, however, was much harder to fool, but also less judgmental.

"Ma ain't home, you can stop the shenanigans."

"Oh hey. Where'd Ma go?"

Karen turned in her seat to see me. "Off to Mrs. Fillstones' place. She needed a ladies day, I guess."

"Huh. Imagine that." I sat down with a glass of Tang and swiped half Karen's sandwich. She just eyed me with repugnance.

"I hope you're being careful. Last thing Ma needs is you bringing home news of her impending grandmotherhood."

"That ain't your concern, little gal. Besides, you're too young to know about such things. Where were you last night?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Karen, I'm eighteen. Don't start something you'd better not have a clue about, because you ain't gonna win."

Her eyes narrowed. "Just because I'm thirteen don't mean I'm clueless."

Wrong thing to say. I bolted upright, slamming my hand on the table. "Who is he? What little shit's been messing with you?"

She started, then laughed. "Ooh, to see your face! Jeeze, Two-Bit, I can_ read_. Not everything is a mystery."

I felt myself tensing, not sure if I should believe her or not. My face must have said more than words, because she got real serious.

"Honest, Two-Bit. I haven't, and no one's tried."

It was a stalemate for a moment, then she got up and went to her room, softly closing her door. I relaxed, letting the anger go. Tang wasn't gonna do it. I went and got a beer.

XXX

The yard was done. At least, as done as I was gonna get it. The place had started to get a wild look to it with overgrown grass and weeds cropping up everywhere, and I figured I owed it to my brothers to do something useful around here for a change. I was still waiting for the meltdown from Darry about all the things I'd screwed up – namely fighting and my grades; I was sure it'd happen eventually.

I'd mowed front and back, trimmed both the sidewalk and along the foundation, pruned back some of the overgrowing shrubs and finally saw to Mom's roses. I was covered in sweat, dirt, grass and insect bites, and when I finished hosing everything off and put it all away, I went inside to shower. No one else was home when I went in, but I had company when I came out.

"Hey kid."

Two-Bit was plastered. He was sprawled on the couch with a hundred yard stare fixed on his face.

"Uh, hey, Two-Bit. You, okay?"

He sucked the last of the beer down and crunched the can in his fist, then belched loudly. "Yeah. Don't think I'm gonna get up any time soon, though."

"Just don't puke or nothing, okay?"

He laughed. "Yeah, sure kid. Never fear, I can hold my own."

Just to be safe, I moved the trashcan closer. He kept his eyes closed but was still lucid. "So, who was it?"

"What?"

"Your face. Besides Steve, who'd you take on?"

I fingered my sore cheek. "Just someone in a pool hall. Chance meeting, nothing special."

"_Which_ pool hall?"

"Why?" I was getting suspicious, fights weren't uncommon – he was in one all the time.

"Cause, ain't no one gonna beat on you like that. Me and the guys... we'll go take care of it."

"Let it go, Two-Bit. The guy's long gone. You want something to eat?" I was hoping if I got some food in him, he'd sober up quicker.

"Nah. I think I'm just... gonna lay here... awhile."

I thought he was asleep, then out of the blue started asking me really off the wall stuff.

"Kid, you lost your cherry yet?"

"_What?_"

He grinned. "Didn't think you had."

"I didn't say 'no,' Two-Bit." I felt myself getting red, wondering why he was asking me this. Even Darry doesn't go this far.

"Nope, you didn't. But only a guy who _hadn't_ would answer like you did when asked. I lost mine years ago... damn she was good. Even your brothers have had their peckers stroked, whacha waiting on?"

"Go to sleep, Two-Bit." I didn't want to hear any of this and wished he'd shut up.

"I wonder what girls say when they're asked the same thing."

I hoped he wasn't asking me my opinion on that, but it seemed it didn't matter. He started mumbling after that, something about his sister but his words twisted and speech slurred until he finally passed out. I didn't want to hang around for when he woke up so I grabbed my sketch pad and split for a while. When he came to, I hoped for both our sakes he'd have forgotten everything he'd said.

XXX

"There ya go, one fill up. I checked the coolant levels, they're okay for now, but could use a top off next time you get it serviced. Might want to remember that for next time."

"Thanks, keep the change. Bye now."

The lady drove off and I took the money in to ring up. Steve was still in the pit, working on that cracked axle. Ben was helping him - Steve's call, not mine. All day, there had been an unnatural silence between us. After pocketing the tip, I threw in the towel and headed into the stifling garage.

"Ben, I need a break. Go watch the pumps."

Sweat poured off him as he turned to look at me. "You need a break from the _pumps?_"

"Just do it," I insisted. He looked at Steve who'd simply nodded.

We traded places, Steve not saying anything for a bit. Avoiding the subject was wearing me out. "Come on man, we've known each other too long for this to go on. Either we fight it out or we talk it out, one or the other. Let's go."

He wiped the sweat off his face and stared at me, then shook his head with a slight grin. "Man, don't be stupid. I ain't gonna fight you."

"Then say something! C'mon buddy -"

"How's he doing?"

"None the worse for wear. You?"

"I can say this much, he likes face shots. Split my lip on the first punch." I'd noticed his slightly swollen lip earlier, but only now realized the smudge along his jaw wasn't a grease stain. I smiled with brotherly pride.

Steve laughed. "Don't get cocky, he had a lucky shot. Would never happen again."

"Yeah, right. Who d'ya think taught him to punch? Hand me that grease gun."

We concentrated on the axle for a bit, finishing it up just in time for the customer to come get his car. Steve cleaned up in the back while I rang the man up and returned his keys.

"So what started all that in the first place? Just you wanting to bust his balls?" I asked while me and Steve took a break, watching Ben work the front.

"Something like that. I dunno. I didn't expect him to flip me. Ain't no one ever flipped me before, that's when I saw red..."

I grinned. "Yeah, he's getting bigger and stronger, that's for sure. He ain't so scrawny like he used to be. If Darry's gonna carry him now, he'll have to sling him over his shoulder." We both laughed a little, then the silence came back - it wasn't so heavy this time.

"He really okay?"

I paused, knowing Pony hated having pity. Still, this was different. Arguments aside, the guys were still family. I put the finished work order in the filing cabinet. "He ain't complaining, but his back is bruised bad. I think that's where he hit the coffee table."

Steve clenched his jaw and he slightly shook his head. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

I took the next work order down and checked it over. Brake inspection. Easy. "I know. But it ain't me you gotta tell it to."

"Yeah," he said with a strained expression. "I know."

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	9. Aquiclude

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 9

**Aquiclude**

XXX

I sighed as I looked at the drawing. Something wasn't right, some detail that I couldn't find, couldn't correct. I'd been working on it for weeks, sketching out the forms, penciling in details, shading then blotting it to achieve the right contrasts. Still, something was wrong but I couldn't tell exactly what because my own memory wasn't clear anymore either. I was forgetting, and that only made the hurt that much more painful to live with.

I put the sketch pad down and leaned back, feeling emotions well up that I'd suppressed for so long. Time may have eased the ache, but it was also dulling the memory. I wondered if in time, I would forget everything.

Hidden in the woods, the birds chirped and warbled their own songs. I could even hear a woodpecker hammering away on a nearby tree. I searched the woodline for the deer, but they weren't showing up. I wondered why, then realized maybe it was too hot for them today. Maybe they'd come out later when the heat let up some. Or, maybe they'd finally spotted me and were simply waiting for me to leave. I didn't make them wait any longer, gathering my stuff and heading home.

XXX

Inside, Two-Bit was still out on the couch but the trashcan was back in the kitchen. Darry was making dinner.

"The yard looks good. Find any snakes?"

We'd found a few snakes hiding in the grass, two last year and one this year, and we were always waiting for more. "No. Just a mouse."

Darry cringed. "I'd rather have snakes than mice. I'll have to put the snap traps out. Keep on the lookout for droppings. I can't afford an exterminator any time soon." He jutted his chin out towards Two-Bit. "Was he here when you left?"

"Yeah. He was sloshed, so I left him to sleep it off and went for a walk around three."

Darry tried to hide a faint grin. "Sort of hot for a walk, ain't it?"

"Heat's the same, sitting or moving. Taco's?"

"Yeah. Go set the table, Soda should be getting off soon."

I grabbed the plates and set the table, then went to my room to put my sketch pad away.

XXX

_Uggghh, my head! Damn, how much did I drink?_ I rubbed my temples and sat up, steadying myself with one arm clamped on the couch cushion and the other on the nearby table. The floor and the room had somehow become a carnival ride, spinning in opposite directions. Nearby, I heard the flick of paper and tried really hard to make my eyes focus. When they did, I saw Darry staring straight at me.

"Welcome back to consciousness," he muttered as he folded his paper and got up. The crinkling of newsprint scratched on my raw nerves.

"Yeah, thanks. I miss anything?"

He handed me some pills and a mug of coffee, then sat back down in his chair. "Swallow that first." I did, the tartness of black coffee zinging my senses. At least I could see better.

"Two-Bit, I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up. Ponyboy looks up to you, so how you act around him becomes my business when you bring it into my home. If you want to get stone cold drunk and pass out, so be it; but find another couch to sleep it off on. We reading each other clear enough?"

I nodded. "Sure, Dar. You know I wouldn't do nothing to hurt that kid."

"Not intentionally, no. But deep down he looks at you to be an example. Let's face it, buddy; sometimes you ain't setting the best example."

"Pony's a good kid, Dar," I muttered as I stretched my eyelids with my fingers. "You ain't got nothing to worry about."

"Like hell I don't. His grades went south, he's getting into fights, and he's spending way more time away from the guys than I'd like. I don't even know where he's going here lately, hell - _n__o one_ seems to know. Soda mentioned he was asking about Curly … I can't tell you how much that scares the wits outa me."

"Pony's too smart for that," I said, my head less foggy. Darry's concern showed in lines etched deep in his face as he looked out the screen door.

"Even smart kids wind up in bad trouble."

"Curly was never smart, Darry. Ponyboy ain't gonna go that route. Don't worry," I said, reaching over to pat his knee, "I'll keep my eyes open."

"It ain't gonna help when your eyes are bloodshot," he spat back.

Ouch. He really knows how to hit a guy without swinging. I nodded, slurping more of the coffee down my throat. "Point taken. I'll do better, but I can't promise to be perfect."

"I'll take what I can get."

"Where is everyone, anyway?" I held the coffee, the whiffs of steam floating away into the warm summer air. The house was quiet. My nerves appreciated it, but still... I had a feeling I'd said something earlier that perhaps I shouldn't have. Booze does nothing for the memory, but I keep forgetting that.

"Pony and Soda are over at the lot passing the ball. Steve ain't set foot back in here since I tossed him out, although Soda told me things were back to normal between them."

"Yeah, ain't much gonna get between them and stay there for long."

"I hope not. Steve's a good buddy. You are too. We couldn't have made it this far without you guys." He got up and stood in the doorway looking out at the world. I managed to make it to my feet and put the coffee mug in the kitchen then went to stand next to him, looking out too. In the distance I could just make out two figures, the ball getting passed from one to the other.

"I'll do better, Dar," I said more seriously.

"I'm counting on it."

XXX

The air felt heavy, thick; palpable almost. The place silent and ominous. Darker even, with the sunlight obscured by a smog-like covering that penetrated everything. The only noise was the faint bubbling of the stream, which seemed itself to have slowed in protest to whatever danger was near.

The doe felt it too. Twice she raised a hoof to go forward, twice she set it back down, her senses telling her not to proceed. Her eyes couldn't perceive the danger but she felt it. Instinct told her to retreat back to safety. Her fawn, however, wasn't as intuitive.

Tired of waiting for its mother to step out into the clearing and thirsty after hours of play with no rest, the fawn stubbornly pranced around its mother, into the clearing and stood in the open. It waited, wondering what the worry had been, then turned to bleat a teasing call back. Danger, however, had never been so near.

Hidden in a thicket was a hunter. Dressed in camouflage and wearing a mask to contain the scent of his breath, the hunter slowly raised his rifle, the scope aiming at the young deer. With painfully slow movements, he cocked the weapon; but the mechanism within the rifle was old and the distinct "click" was heard. The doe bleated a warning and leaped backwards into safety. The hunter, now hurried, checked the sites again and squeezed. The sound reverberated everywhere, shattering the stillness instantly.

"NOOOO!"

XXX

His piercing scream jerked me awake, the suddenness of it disorienting me in the darkness. Still, I reached out and found his arm, grabbing hold as if he were somehow falling. "Pony!"

Darry, too, had heard. He came barreling into our room wearing just his briefs while holding a baseball bat, ready to take on anyone. "Ponyboy?" Darry asked, lowering the bat and going to Pony's other side. "What's going on?"

"Nightmare," I answered, as if it wasn't obvious. Pony was still in the thick of it too, judging by how he was acting. It even scared me some; it had been ages since his nightmares had been an issue for him. Still, all the signs were there. His clothes were damp and hair slick with perspiration. He was trembling something fierce, muscles rigid and his breath was coming in short rasps.

"Pone? Wake up, kiddo. Ya with us?" Darry asked, rubbing the muscles of his other arm which had to be as as locked tight as the one I held. Like a dance, we were out of practice but still remembered the steps. "Ponyboy?"

"Hey Pony? C'mon... wake up." I laid my hand on his shoulder, feeling the dampness that had already soaked his t-shirt. The shaking slowed, his muscles finally began to give again.

"Sssssoda?"

"Yeah Pone. I'm here. Darry and me both. Relax Ponyboy, you're okay. You're awake now."

Finally the tension in his body began to fade and he started to get some color back, but his eyes were still jumpy, still frightened. The fading bruises from days ago looked like smudges against his pale skin. Darry watched him, his own fatigue and concern showing through. "You remember anything?"

"It wasn't_ that _dream, it... was different..."

Great. Now we had two dreams that were gonna screw with him. "What happened Pone?"

He stared out, not looking at either of us. "A gun. Someone... had a gun."

"It was just a dream, Ponyboy," Darry said. "Ain't no one coming in here with a gun."

Pony looked from him to me and nodded, his face tinging pink. "I know. I'm sorry.. you guys don't need this. Dar, I'm fine... go back to sleep."

Darry smirked, pushing Pony's damp hair back. "You need to see the barber. As for sleep, I think I will. You gonna be okay?"

He nodded and Darry got up. "Night guys." A moment later, "Soda?" I looked up and he gave me a look. I understood and nodded. He flipped off our light and disappeared down the hall.

Pony got up and tugged off his nightclothes, slipping on some clean ones before heading for the door. Later, when the toilet flushed but he didn't come back, I went to find him. He was outside, smoking. I joined him and pulled one out of the pack, lighting mine with the burning end of his. For a moment, it was just the two of us, sitting out and sharing a smoke.

"What else happened in that dream?"

"I don't remember most of it. Just... that there was a gun, someone pointed it and it went off. When it fired... that's when I woke up. I'm sorry I yelled."

I flicked the ashes off the end of my stick. "Stop apologizing. You can't help what happens in your sleep. I ain't gonna get mad if you wake me up for something like that. Darry ain't neither, so can it."

We smoked for a bit longer, then … "I wasn't nothing about Dal, was it?"

He bristled, goosebumps chilled his skin. "Uh uh." He took a long drag off his stick and flicked it into the yard, then rubbed his arms. "I'm cold. Think I'm gonna go in and try to get some sleep."

"Yeah, me too." I flicked my stick out with Pony's and followed him inside.

"Soda?" he asked, when we were back in bed. "You remember that night?"

"Which night?"

"That night, the night Johnny and Dal...?"

I pulled up on an elbow, looking at him better. "Yeah. Of course I do." He didn't say anything right away. "Why?"

"Think you'll ever forget it?"

I blinked hard. "No, I don't."

Pony turned a little, looking at me. "Sometimes, I'm not so sure."

"Whaddya mean?"

He furrowed his brow some. "Some of it's clear, some of it's fuzzy. It's like I can't be sure it's right or not. My memory. Ya dig?"

That night was so ingrained in my head I doubt I'd ever forget it. The sickening image of him walking through that door, beaten and bloodied, to announce Johnny's death. Then, how he made it to the lot as bad off as he was I'll never understand. And finally to have him collapse at our feet... I shivered, not wanting to remember anymore. "It wasn't a good night, Ponyboy. You were sick. Real sick. You're allowed to have fuzzy memories. It's okay."

"I don't want to forget them."

"You won't," I assured, wrapping my arm over him and feeling him tuck into me. "None of us ever will."

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	10. Lightning Before Thunder

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 10

**Lightning Before Thunder**

XXX

Storm clouds built up overnight, rain finally falling just before dawn. Sodapop, still tired from Pony's sudden nightmare just hours before, had already skidded out the door, catching a ride with Steve who'd sat waiting in his car. Rain meant customers would be coming in due to worn out windshield wipers, treadless tires and faulty brakes; good money, sure, but by the end of the day their backs and arms were more sore than usual.

Darry, on the other hand, had been given a reprieve from his regular work, but his boss offered him a spot on another project where carpentry skills were needed. It was less money, but still a paycheck. Never one to turn down a job, Darry got the address and after a quick check on his sleeping brother, was also out the door.

XXX

The heaviness weighed me down. I clutched my chest, not able to breathe. Something was there but I couldn't see it. I tried to turn but couldn't.. some force had me... panic took hold...

"_Darry! Sodapop!" _

I jolted awake, fear giving way to feelings of instant stupidity as I realized I was safely at home, the blankets simply twisted tight around my body. _Get a grip, kid. You're losing it, _I chided myself. "Anyone home?" As I kicked myself free of the bedding, I listened out for the usual, '_In here, Ponyboy. Get out of bed, you're wasting the day_' lecture I usually got when I slept in on weekends. Only this wasn't the weekend, it was summer. I flopped over, checking my clock and blinking at the time. 8:27. Wow.

"Hello?" I stumbled out of the bedroom to a mostly silent house, just the soft pattering of rain outside broke the quiet. No one was home, although I did find a note on the table.

_Gone to work, be back by five. Stay out of trouble and clean your room. Darry._

I crumpled the note, already tired of the message. He asked me and Soda at least once a week to clean our room, and while a shirt may get hung up and a stack of books might get set straight again, real cleaning was seldom done. Looking outside, the rain was coming down steadily with no signs of easing.

I flipped on the television, hoping yet doubting I'd find the news still on this late in the morning. As expected, all I found were boring soap operas and kiddie shows. I paused at _I Dream of Jeannie,_ my mind going places it shouldn't have while being mesmerized by her belly, just waiting for her navel to appear. It never did, but was sure captivating to stare at. Thirty minutes later, I'd given up on finding any news and switched the set off, flipping on the kitchen radio instead.

Somewhere between my second slice of cake and a bowl of cereal, the weather man came on to finally reveal the big secret: it was raining. Not only that, it was probably gonna rain for three days or so. _Groan._ I wasn't gonna sit around the house for three days with nothing to watch but Barbara Eden's midsection, hoping that little wiggle she did would somehow show something more than what the censors wanted me to see. I went to get dressed and pocketed some change, heading to the bus stop to get out for a while.

XXX

"One," I said to the ticket lady. I paid my quarter and took my ticket, hurrying inside to try to keep from getting totally soaked. My toes were already squishing in my shoes, but I'd have to live with it until I got back home. I'd scraped together enough pocket change to get some popcorn and a Coke and found an aisle seat near the back. Old lesson I'd learned from going to the movies with Two-Bit and Johnny a year ago – on the inside, you're trapped, on the aisle seats, you have an escape. Never get trapped if you can help it. I settled down as the lights went out and the film started.

It was some racing movie with Peter Falk and Jack Lemmon. Nothing deep, nothing dramatic, but enough entertainment to kill a few hours of boredom. I was disappointed to see the rain still hadn't stopped by the time I got out.

The official stop for the bus is across the street at the corner, but it wasn't due to get there for a few more minutes so I hovered under the overhang to try to stay dry. I wasn't exactly alone, some lady and her kid had the same idea. I noticed how she pulled the kid closer to her with both hands on his shoulders and eyed me with scorn. I hooked my thumbs in my pockets and looked away, trying my best to ignore it. That's when my eyes caught a glimpse of someone familiar hanging out across the street and up the block. I hadn't seen him in months but I still recognized him. I smiled. Curly.

"Hey Curly!" I called, waving while scaring the wits out of that lady and her kid. She jumped, holding him tighter. Maybe he didn't hear me, maybe the rain drowned me out; I wasn't sure, but he didn't turn when I yelled. It was weird that he was just standing there on the corner in the pouring rain, looking further up the street. I tried again. "Hey Curly? Need a ride? The bus'll be here in a minute!"

Finally he turned in my direction and even from a distance I was shocked at how he looked. His hair was longer, his expression cold and his eyes narrowed, dangerous almost. It gave me goosebumps. Dally's warning to Johnny about getting hardened in jail along with Soda's warning to stay away from him came back to me and I paused. What the heck had happened? Curly was looking at me as if I was a complete stranger, and honestly... I was beginning to think the same of him.

"Joshua, come along!" The woman pulled on the boy, taking him back inside the theater.

A Barracuda drove up, stopping right by him. I didn't recognize it, and a sudden apprehension pitted my stomach as Curly leaned in the passenger window. He wasn't there long, the driver taking off with a screech of tires against wet pavement, leaving Curly cussing a blue streak at the disappearing car. The bus arrived at the same time so I hurried on, took a seat and looked back out the window. Curly glanced in my direction again, then turned and walked down the side alley. I doubt he ever noticed the rain.

I got off at the DX.

"Hey Pony!" Soda called out as I headed inside the office. "Nice weather we're having, huh? Man, Pony, you're soaked. Better not catch pneumonia, Darry'll have a fit! What brings you out in this mess?"

"I ain't gonna catch no pneumonia." I said, looking around, not wanting to say nothing but not wanting to cause no trouble neither. It'd been days since me and Steve had our run-in, and so far the stand-off was holding nicely. "Just wanted to get out for a while. I was bored stiff at home and went over to the movies to kill time. You got the shop alone today?" I hinted.

"He ain't here, Pone, if that's what you're worried about. Had to go tow someone who'd wrecked, but Steve'll be back soon."

I nodded, a little relieved. "Much business today?"

"Enough. It's been steady. No girls though, just regular work... sad to say."

I didn't smile.

"Go get a drink if you want one. Get me one too."

I went in and got two Pepsi's and while I was at it, a pack of smokes. I climbed up on a stack of tires, smoking and thinking hard while subconsciously rubbing the circular scar on my finger.

"What's up?" he asked, shoving me a little then reaching for a stick from the swiped pack.

"You seen a dark blue Barracuda around here? A dent on the passenger door?"

His brow furrowed in thought. "A Barracuda? With a dent? Nup, can't say I have. Why?"

"I saw one earlier, just wondering who owned it is all."

"Well," he said, snuffing out his stick as a car pulled up at the pumps, "if it's a 'Cuda with a dent, it's probably owned by some rich Soc who can't drive. Gotta get back to work. See ya later."

"Bye." I watched as he jogged over to the car and worked the pump, then I hopped off the tires and headed home.

XXX

"I bet he didn't," I teased.

"You're on," Soda chuckled, whacking my chest as we headed up his front steps. "Pony, you make any dinner?" he called out as we went inside. The kid was sitting on the couch, a game of solitaire spread out in front of him on the coffee table.

"Can't. Power's out."

"I win," I said, laughing at Soda.

"Power being out don't count," Soda retorted, trying the lamp without any luck.

"Muscles not pay the bill or something?" I suggested, trying a light switch.

"Shoot no, he paid it, I saw him write the check!" Soda checked the circuit breaker box in the kitchen. "Ugggh!" he groaned, "Now what?" We looked outside at the other houses. All up and down the street, everything was dark.

"There's always peanut butter and jelly," the kid answered absently, moving a red eight onto a black nine.

"Yeah,_ you _try explaining that to Darry. It might work for snacking, but PB&J ain't exactly dinner food." Soda admonished with a shake of his head. "Well, lemme go change clothes and see what I can do about this. Steve, you staying or what?"

"Ain't like it's gonna be any more exciting at my place." Soda chucked off his shirt and headed down the hall, leaving me and the kid alone. He continued with the cards, I think trying his best to ignore me. "The seven can go on the eight," I mumbled.

He stopped, found what I was talking about - yet stubbornly refused to play it. "I'm saving that for something else."

_Whatever. _Down the hall, drawers were pulled open then slid shut. The silence bugged me. _I'm not gonna apologize, I'm not gonna apologize, I'm not... _I balled my fists, knowing I had little choice if I was still gonna be welcome around here.

"Say Ponyboy, that fight you were in the other day... at the pool hall... that ever happen again, you know we got your back... right?"

He stopped counting by three's and nodded, still not looking up. "Yeah, I know."

"Alright then." I was glad that was out of the way. Soda came back down the hall. "Well, since cooking is out, how bout Jay's? We can pick up a couple burgers and bring them back before Superman gets here."

"Sounds good to me," Soda said, working his foot into one of his boots. "Pony, you wanna come along?"

Ponyboy looked from me to Sodapop and back.

"Time's wasting, kid," I told him. "If you're going, let's go."

He dropped the rest of the deck on the table and got up, following us out.

XXX

_Thirty seven dollars and eighty four cents_. The numbers rolled in my head, knowing it was enough to get the rest of the bills paid but not enough for much else. Certainly not the chiropractor I was gonna need before my next birthday.

Ahead, the light turned yellow then red and I pulled up to stop. I'd hoped Pony had taken something out for dinner, something besides chicken or hamburger for a change. He was getting a little predictable here lately. Maybe some slow-cooked ribs... My mouth was watering just thinking about it.

"Leave me alone, rotten Greaser!"

A phrase that always leaves me bristling came from my left, through the open window. I looked – as did everyone who'd been stopped at the intersection, and saw Curly whipping out his blade, lunging at someone in a car. The driver was smart at least; brake lights lit up then vanished as whoever it was fishtailed out into the wet intersection, nearly hitting another car in the process. Still, scratched paint and dents were easier to fix than a stab wound.

I watched as Curly sneered at the disappearing car, then turned and walked off. A car horn behind me brought me back to my senses. The light had turned green, so I let off the brake and drove on. As the windshield wipers sloshed back and forth, I knew I was going to have to tell Tim his kid brother was hassling others at knifepoint and that he needed to deal with it. Trouble like that would snowball, eventually involving everyone – including the fuzz, and none of us needed that anymore.

At least I was grateful for this much... Curly wasn't my problem. Not that neither Sodapop nor Ponyboy were perfect - Soda with his failings in school and the Sandy embarrassment, and Ponyboy with his penchant to escape into fictional worlds instead of dealing with reality, were enough to give me ulcers... but when compared to what they could've been like, I considered myself lucky.

And I'd be damned if I let some renegade hood screw with the little peace we'd achieved since last fall.

XXX

Calla Lilly Rose


	11. Convergence

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 11

**Convergence**

XXX

"Ponyboy, that book you were wanting finally came in. I have it up at my desk."

"Really?" I left my stuff and followed the librarian to the front, eager to get my hands on it. "I've been waiting on it a long time, thanks for getting it for me."

"You're welcome, Ponyboy. I'm just sorry we couldn't get and keep a copy for you sooner. Seems each one we get manages to get stolen. You _will _return it, won't you?" The desperation in her tone was plain as day, but I understood why. When five copies of _Profiles In Courage_ have already walked away, you sort of give up hope. Still, I'd been pestering Martha for months and she finally said she'd order one more - just to make me happy.

"Yeah, Mrs. Martha. I promise... two weeks, no later."

She smiled and slid the book to me.

I opened the cover, the smell of new all over it. It was enough to make me dizzy. The giddiness lasted until I got back to my table.

"Karen!" I hissed. "That's mine! Put it down!"

People were shushing me from all around. My face went hot, embarrassed in more ways than I could count. I reached for my sketch pad but she pulled away as if it were a game.

"_Now_, Karen! I ain't playing. Give it here."

"It's good, but something's... a little off. Can't quite put my finger on it..."

I reached over her and snatched it, flipping the cover and shoving it in my bag. "It ain't yours... you had no right!"

"Is everything okay?" Martha had come over, my outburst having gotten her attention. I scrambled, getting my stuff to leave.

"Yes. I'm sorry about the noise. I'll have the book back to you soon. Night, Martha." I didn't wait for her usual pleasant return, still seething mad about my drawings being messed with.

"Ponyboy, don't rush off all angry!" Karen called after me a block away. "I wasn't doing anything to it!"

I turned on a dime, forcing her to pull up short to keep from running into me. "Look, our friendship aside, you had no right. That's ... _personal, _and I don't want it messed with."

"But I wasn't messing with it. I was just looking at it!"

"Doesn't matter, it ain't yours to look at."

"But … it's _good!_" she insisted, still hot on my heals.

"Thanks," I answered with zero appreciation for her compliment, walking that much faster to get some distance between us.

"Ponyboy, wait... aww, c'mon, I can't walk that fast! Would you at least slow down!"

"No! Go home, Karen. Stop bugging me."

I turned the corner intending on leaving her behind when the Barracuda with the dent drove by. Now, _I_ was the one stopped in my tracks.

"_Thank_ you," she said puffing hard as she caught up. "... now what -"

"Shhh!"

"Ponyboy, I might not-"

"Would you shut up?" I was looking over in the distance at the Barracuda, watching as it slowed and turned down Central Street. Something told me I knew where it was going.

"What's going on?" Karen asked softly.

I turned to her sharply. "You ain't gonna leave, are you?" I hissed.

"Nope," she steadfastly insisted, crossing her arms defiantly.

I rolled my eyes then turned back toward the bus stop. "Nothing. Absolutely _nothing_ is going on."

"My instincts say different."

Her instincts would be right. Tim lives down Central Street, and that 'Cuda had the same dent in the door as the one I saw pulling up by Curly the other day. But with Karen hovering like a mosquito, I wasn't about to go checking it out and possibly get her in trouble. The investigating would have to wait.

"Why don't you want nobody looking at that drawing? It's really good."

"Cause it's just a drawing. No big deal."

"But it's _good_, Ponyboy. Shoot, I can't even draw a straight line, why don't you want nobody to see it?"

"I already told you, it's just a drawing."

"No, that took a lot of work. Hours, I'm guessing."

I could feel a headache coming on. I don't talk about my sketchings anymore and usually nobody asks. Karen, it seemed, was dead set to do the opposite. "_Days_, Karen. It's taken days. Now, leave it alone."

"Man, I can't wait to see the final work. I bet it's gonna be tuff!"

"News flash... you've seen the last of it. Get it out of your head."

"But ..._ why?_"

I had a little more sympathy for Two-Bit right then. Coming up the street was the bus and I pulled some dimes from my pocket. "Look, I've been working on it for almost two weeks. It's still not right. The little things - details and such - aren't coming out like they should."

"So..._ fix_ it," she said as if it were that simple.

I had to fight the desire to yell. Instead, I gripped my bag tighter. "If I could, I would. But it ain't that easy."

"I don't get it." she said as we took a seat on the bus. "Why can't you fix it?"

"Look, I don't expect you to get it. It's just... the images in my head ain't right, so the image on the paper ain't right. Okay?"

Whatever was going through her head after that she at least kept to herself. Our street came into view and I pulled the string, the driver pulling over to let us off. "It may not be picture perfect," she said softly as we walked down our street, "but I think it's a good likeness. Don't stop working on it... don't give up."

"Thanks," I said dryly, hating that she knew this much. "I'll see ya later. And do me a favor, keep this to yourself, okay?"

She nodded. "Promise."

We'll see.

XXX

"Guys, I'm going out for a bit. Think you can hold the fort down without me a while?"

"Sure Dar. Hey, pick up some milk on the way home, will ya?"

"There's still half a gallon in the fridge and you guys are gonna have to make it last until Tuesday. Sodapop, you and Pony.. keep the noise down. I'll be back later."

The guys waved me on, too engrossed in their game of cheater's poker to pay me much mind. Pony wasn't playing. Pencil in hand, he was sprawled out on the couch working on some new masterpiece he never showed to anyone. I doubt he even noticed me leaving.

Tim was waiting for me when I got to Benny's.

"Evening, Curtis."

"Tim, how's it going?"

We went inside, picking some seats at the bar. One of the barmaids gave me the twice-over and smiled like she was interested. I, however, wasn't. "Beer," I said, ignoring her from that point on.

"Make that two," Tim followed, then turned back to me. "Same shit, different day. The refinery's wanting to close a line,_ my_ line... it just so happens."

"That's gotta suck. You gonna get moved to another line or pack it in?"

He made a face. "Probably get moved, but I ain't heard yet. So what's going on with you?"

This really wasn't about our finances or any job satisfaction survey, but the bullshit talk had to happen first. "Nothing new, just one roof after another, trying to keep it straight," I said, wiping the foam from my lip.

"You doing okay?" He ran his finger around the rim of his glass then took a gulp.

"I'm surviving."

"So, what's on your mind?"

"You still keeping tabs on Curly, or have you cut him loose?"

He didn't answer right away, but a muscle in his jaw jumped. "What'd the little shit do now?"

"Aside from lunging at someone with his blade, I don't know."

"He ain't the only one carrying a blade, Curtis," he said defensively. "I'd be stupid to think even you ain't carrying right now."

"You'd be right. I've got mine, but I ain't got it out. If I need it, I'll use it – but only if I have to."

Tim said nothing again, nursing his beer some. I had another swallow of my own.

"Someone roughing him up or the other way around?" he finally asked.

"Dunno. Didn't get there to see the start of it, just the ending."

"Then why the grief?"

"Look Tim, it wasn't so much the fight that I asked you to come down here, it's what's going on with Curly. He had a look on his face, a blank anger that you and I have both seen before. An anger that's gonna end badly, for him and everyone around him – and you know what I mean. He ain't lost yet, but time's ticking. He's gonna blow up if you don't fix it."

"Well, for once, you get to be wrong. As far as Curly's concerned, the clock's already stopped. The kid's locked and loaded, a bomb waiting to go off. He's dangerous, to himself and anyone he tangles with. He's out of my hands, I can't fix nothing."

Granted, Tim wasn't as close to his kid brother and sister as I was to Sodapop and Ponyboy, but he wouldn't just give up on them without a fight either. At least, I would hope not. If he felt Curly had sunk that low and couldn't be helped, then he probably had. Afterall, Curly wasn't the first, and more than likely wasn't the last. "Sorry, Tim."

"Don't need no sympathy, I didn't shove the shit in him."

"What's he using?"

"Coke and weed are all I know of for sure, but the way he's acting, I wouldn't be surprised if he's flown higher. Where he's getting it and how he's paying, I got no idea."

"He stealing?"

"He sure ain't getting it by no legal means. I'd keep my distance, if I were you. His trouble ain't one you want on your doorstep, if you know what I mean. You've worked too hard to keep those boys of yours straight. You stand a good chance with that little one. His record's still clean, ain't it?"

I nodded. "So far, so good. It ain't been easy though."

"Well," he said, getting up and tossing a dollar on the bar, "whatever you're doing, it's working. There's hope yet. For you, anyway."

"Thanks for the info. Night, Tim."

Tim left while I sat there a bit longer. This side of town was killing everyone off, one way or another. When I'd drained my mug dry, the barmaid came back over, dropping a slip of paper as she took the money for the tab.

"Call me," she said, then winked as she sauntered over to the register. On the slip of paper was a phone number. I left it for the next guy who came in and headed out, tired and anxious to get home again.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	12. Approaching Storm

A/N Drug use is bad. Very bad. Naughty naughty naughty. Don't do it. Unfortunately, not everyone got this message in time. Disclaimer over, on with the story.

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 12

**Approaching Storm**

XXX

The radio blared, ignored as background noise while the three friends played cards. Annoyed with the noise, Ponyboy had retreated to his room to once again try to fix something his mind refused to clarify.

Old sketchpads laid in disarrayed heaps on the bed, pages yellowing from months in forgotten storage on the back shelf of the closet. The drawings were reflections of another time; when friends with devilish grins or dark, suspicious eyes wandered in and out of the house as if it were their own. He pulled one sketchpad out at random, opened it and lightly traced the image with his finger. He tried to remember the sharp angles of jawlines, the deepset of eyes, the thickness of eyebrows; but in many ways it felt so foreign to him, as if he were looking at someone else's work and not his own.

His memory was all that was left of his friends, and it was slowly beginning to fail him. When that happened, what would be left?

He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight in a desperate attempt to remember, but all he got was a phrase - one that had stopped him cold the first time he'd heard it, and yet it pierced his soul again.

"_... you don't just stop living because you lose someone. I thought you knew that by now..."_

He hadn't stopped_ living_, he just never thought he'd live to _forget._ Anger welled within him, a sudden caged feeling wrapped around him in the small confines of his room - one he needed to break away from before he smothered. He carelessly tossed the sketchpads away and bolted for the door.

"I'm going out for a while," he announced as he hit the front porch, hopping the fence too rushed to open it. As soon as his shoes met the sidewalk beneath him, he was off like a rocket.

"'It's getting dark ... you gonna be back before Darry gets home, right?" Soda yelled after him, but by then Ponyboy was just a mere blur as he rounded the corner out of sight.

"Damnit, _now_ what?" Soda grumbled aloud to no one in particular as he watched his brother disappear.

"Don't tell me_ you_ two ain't talking." Two-Bit asked, spewing crumbs everywhere. "I mean, him and Brawny, that's one thing; but you? Something ain't right with that."

"Gross, Two-Bit," noted Steve as he brushed crumbs off the cards, stacking them up and wrapping a rubber band around them.

"Whatever's bugging him, he ain't saying." Soda came back over, flopping in his chair. The conundrum of his brother worried him like always.

"Just like Johnnycake used to be," Two-Bit agreed absentmindedly. "All quiet, all the time."

Both Steve and Soda turned toward Two-Bit, making him stop and look up. "Wha?"

The memory of their lost friend was still strong enough to make them pause. _Pause_.. but not stop. Even Johnny hadn't been one to wallow in the 'what if's' of life. His pop would beat him, but he'd simply roll with the punches - as painful as they may have been. Steve pulled out his keys and spun them on his finger. "Well guys, this has been a blast, but I got a date with Evie that I'd better not be late for. I'll check y'all later."

"See ya, Steve," Sodapop glanced Two-Bit's way. "Well, buddy, looks like it's just you and me."

"Nup. Make that just _you_. Me and Kathy are heading down to the drive in. You're on your own."

"Great!" Soda said, frustrated at the sudden turn of events.

"Sorry man, but like they say... there's plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe it's time you went out and cast a line... see what you reel up."

Soda grabbed a cigarette from a nearby pack and lit up. "See ya later, Two-Bit."

XXX

Once again, the deer weren't anywhere around. I was hoping they would be, I needed something to distract me from my misery... if only for a hour. The stupid sketches were infuriating. The harder I tried to get them right, the more wrong they looked. I'd left them at home this time, knowing nothing I did on them right now would fix the problem. The unexpected sound of a dry twig snapping behind me startled me, and I whipped around while reaching for my blade at the same time.

"So this is where you've been hanging out at. I was wondering what I'd find at the end of that path, although I didn't expect this." Karen's smile faded instantly when she caught sight of my knife. "You uh, ain't planning nothing, are you?"

"Course not," I said, folding my knife and putting it away. "Don't be stupid. What're you doing out here anyway?"

"Simple, I followed you."

"You did_ what_?" I asked, a little angry.

"I _followed_ you. Two-Bit mentioned how you've been disappearing lately, and more than once I've seen you heading out this way. I must say, you ain't the easiest person to follow... considering you walk like your pants are on fire."

I ignored the fire remark, but the memories it brought back still stung. "Maybe I didn't want to be followed, ever think of that?"

"No, but now that you mention it, pulling a blade on me was a definite clue."

"I didn't know it was you, and you ought to know better than to sneak up on someone who carries a blade, especially when it's getting dark out."

"You ain't gonna hurt me. I know better than that."

I smirked and sat back down. "Yeah, whatever."

"So, this bridge-thingy, it still in use?" She sidestepped around the_ Caution_ sign onto the crossbeams with ease, looking around.

"It's called a trestle, and I doubt it. I think they stopped using it when the train was diverted around the refinery. Now it's just forgotten. So, why are you spying on me?"

"I wasn't spying, I was snooping. If I'd been spying, I wouldn't have gotten caught. There's a difference."

I tried to cock my eyebrow, looking at her humorously. "There is?"

"Uh huh," she murmured, not noticing me at all. "Just ask Nancy Drew."

_Nancy Drew? And they say_ I _read too much! _

"So, what's out here that's so interesting? Looks like a mosquito trap to me," she said, smacking a bug for emphasis.

I shrugged, not wanting to tell her about the deer. Somehow, to me, that was as personal as my sketchings. "Sort of hard to explain."

"That water polluted?" she asked as she sat down and looked at the stream below.

I shook my head. "Nope. The refinery is downstream. The water is clean at least until it gets there. Didn't think our little armpit of Tulsa could have this, huh?" I thought it was neat, she seemed to think otherwise.

"So.. you just sit around out here, doing nothing, for hours?" She was looking at me as if I were nuts.

"Mhh hmmm," I mumbled, my eyes closed as I tried to listen to the world around me... sans Karen Mathews.

"You okay?"

I think she was questioning my sanity and not my health. "Look, I didn't ask you to come out here, nor did I ask you to stay. Go on back if all you're gonna do is find fault with this. Just, do me a favor and keep this to yourself. That_ includes_ your brother."

"Don't worry," she said as she got up, rolling her eyes as she headed back across the trestle and onto the pathway. "I doubt Two-Bit would find any of this the least bit interesting. See ya, Ponyboy, and uh, try not to catch malaria."

"Don't get lost on your way back." I called out, adding a silent - _and say 'hey' to Nancy Drew for me -_ as she disappeared.

A half hour of sitting perfectly still was rewarded when movement below got my attention. I smiled. The doe and her fawn were safe, my nightmare was just a figment of my stupid imagination. They came out and wandered around for a bit in the moonlight, the fawn's spots almost reflecting the full moon overhead while prancing about and drinking from the stream, the doe eating some grasses along the bank. When they'd had enough time in the clearing, they disappeared back into the brush. I stretched and got up, my arms and legs stiff from being still for so long.

I rubbed my arm, thinking of the sketchings again, wondering what it was I was forgetting when a step I'd taken ended up being a misstep. The next three seconds were a blur as I slipped on the metal, all my weight smashing my knee onto one of the exposed crossbeams as I went down. I let out a yell as I caught myself from falling through, grabbing the surrounding beams with my hands and pulling myself back up, but instant pain was already shooting through my leg. Tears welled in my eyes it hurt so bad.

"Shitshitshitshit!" It didn't exactly help the situation, but cussing made me feel a little better anyway. The metal had ripped a hole in my jeans over the same spot, and a trickling coolness on my leg told me I'd gashed it too. All the more for Darry to yell at me about. I rocked back and forth, my bent leg held close to my chest, waiting for the pain to dull enough to move again. When it did, I hobbled to my feet and limped off the trestle, heading home.

XXX

"Curtis."

The sound of my name being called out from the darkness startled me. I turned, my knee protesting the motion but I managed to stay on both feet. Curly was there, leaning against the shadowy backside of the laundry mat, a dying cigarette teetering from his lips. He sucked in the last of it then dropped the butt, snuffing it out with his shoe. "Hey man, what's up?" I answered hesitantly.

"Seen you around, thought I'd say 'hey.' Haven't seen you since..." He clenched his eyes, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Last September. It's been since last September, Curly."

"Yeah, yeah... right. Man, that was a cold winter, huh? Guess you've been busy. Whacha been up to?"

"Nothing much, playing catch-up with school, that sort of stuff. What about you? What've you been up to since... getting out?"

He smiled as if he were hiding a secret. "No good, man. No good. Got any smokes... you know, for later?"

"No, not on me. Smoked my last earlier. So, you doing okay now?" The obvious answer was no, he wasn't. I didn't like the way his eyes were twitching, and while my own nails weren't exactly clean, his were beyond grungy. It was more than that though. His hair wasn't Greaser greasy, it was just greasy – uncombed and somewhat matted. His clothes were filthy; it looked like he hadn't cleaned up in days. He'd changed. He wasn't the pal I'd had just a year ago.

"Could be better. Could _always _be better. You got any dough? I'm out, I just need a little."

"Nah. I'm always broke, you know that."

"Yeah, but you got some at home, ain't ya? You showed me that penny bank once. You still got it I bet, doncha?"

The bank he was referring to was a 2 liter Coke bottle that I often used to keep pennies in, with the ludicrous idea of one day filling up. Usually what happened is by the time I'd saved enough to cover the bottom, I'd spend it on chocolate or a magazine. "I got the bank, sure, but not the money. Sorry, Curly, but like I said, I'm broke. Maybe Tim..."

"Shuddup about Tim! Son of a bitch, he ain't _nothing_ to me!" Curly's eyes went stormy, pointing his finger at my chest. He stopped just as soon as he started, stepping back but shaking in rage.

I backed up, aggravating my sore knee more but I ignored it. "Curly, I'm sorry man. But I ain't _got _nothing." A brief moment of silence fell before I tossed a thumb over my shoulder. "I gotta get going, Darry's expecting me home."

"Yeah, I _bet_ he is," he said icily. "And you're too good to disappoint him, now ain't ya?"

I bristled. "Curly, what's with you, man? You know how it is, what me and my brothers face all the time, what he's -"

"-Yeah, yeah.. sorry Curtis. Sorry." He cut me off, not sounding sorry at all for anything and stepped further into the shadows, still facing me. If we were gonna talk and hear each other, I'd have to follow – and I wasn't about to do that. Everything about this was unsettling and I decided it was time to split.

"See ya around, Curly." I halfway hoped I'd never run into him again, at least not the way he is now. Whatever had happened to him, the old Curly wasn't there anymore.

XXX

I was exhausted, glad to be back in my neighborhood on familiar streets. Between my aching back, the beer, and the summer heat radiating off everything, I only wanted to be home so I could relax. Maybe if Sodapop was still there, he'd work out some knots that refused to go away. If not, then I'd have to settle for a steaming shower to do the trick. It wasn't as good, but it'd do.

The fog in my head went a little too far. I hit a curb, the spine numbing jarring sensation brought me back to my senses, waking me back up. I cussed a little, running my hand over my face to slap some sense back into me. Looking around, I was lucky I didn't hit anything that would cost me money; like a parked car or a mailbox, or even that dolt limping along in the street just ahead, just_ asking _to get hit. Wait a second... I flipped on the brights, lighting up the guys backside and watched as he jumped a foot in the air, blade already out and ready.

"Ponyboy! What the blue blazes you doing out here this time of night?"

In that micro-instant of time that existed before recognition sunk in, he held an expression that any stranger would find menacing enough to leave him alone. However, I wasn't a stranger and could see past that toughness. Something besides me had spooked him, enough that he was carrying his blade in his hand, not his pocket like usual. Once he realized it was me, he'd tried to hide it, closing his blade and slipping it back into his pocket. "Hey Darry, how was the gym?" he asked as he slid in and shut the door.

"I didn't go to the gym tonight, went out to see somebody. Ain't it a little late to be out?"

I didn't miss how his eyes were scanning the darkness. "I was on my way home."

Something about all this wasn't right. I looked over at him as I drove on home. "What happened to your leg?"

"Huh? Oh, tripped. Nothing big."

Tripped? Figures. I pulled into the yard, seeing a light on in the garage. Soda was tinkering around on that wreck he swore he'd get running again but I had my doubts. We had a dollar bet on it, a dollar I was sure I'd have to loan him just to get back. When our doors closed, Soda came out, wiping his hands and grinning. Pony didn't wait, heading straight inside.

"He find you or the other way around?" Soda asked, puffing on a stick.

"I picked him up about a few blocks out. Looked like he was heading home. If you're done screwing around on that bucket of bolts, you wanna see what you can do with my back?"

He smiled. "Sure Dar. Just let me kill the lights in the garage. I'll be in in a minute."

I went inside, stripping off my shirt while getting the muscle ointment out; flopping across my bed just as Soda joined me. "Don't knock me out," I warned.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Shuddup and lay still." The radio hummed low in Pony's room, dulling my senses even more as Soda rubbed in endless circles. I knew Sodapop would get his way; I didn't bother reminding him I didn't want to be out. Instead, I replayed the conversation with Tim in my head, wondering how far Curly would go even as messed up as he was.

XXX

I kicked the can, hearing it pinging off the brick. I itched, the need for a little blow screaming through me. I already owed T.J. more than I could come up with and risked getting sent back up if caught in a hold-up again. That place was worse than juvie, a real shithole if there ever was one. It may not have been prison, but I couldn't imagine it worse. Anyway, T.J. was my cellmate's older brother who supplied the goodies during his visits. The first month he introduced me to weed. The second month we did lines. The rest of my time from that point on was a blur.

On the inside; me, T.J. and his kid brother were tight, but on the outside, T.J.'s attitude toward me was different. Nothing was free, and payment plans weren't optional. Still, I wasn't gonna get sent back again... not if I could help it. I just needed some money; something that would get T.J. off my ass.

Then I saw Ponyboy, remembering how his brothers always had a little emergency fund stashed in their house, and how they never locked their doors; and suddenly all my problems seemed solved. As long as Darry didn't get in the way, I was sure I could handle the others.

The Barracuda pulled so close to me, I was lucky it didn't run over my feet. I jumped back, surprised.

"You got my money?" T.J. asked in a bored voice.

"No man, but I can get it. I got a buddy, he's got some dough. I'll get it ... tomorrow ... I promise."

T.J. got out of the 'Cuda, the engine idling softly, purring like a kitten. "Who the fuck would want to be your buddy?"

"Just a kid I know."

He looked off in the direction Ponyboy'd disappeared into. "Let's go pay him a visit."

"Can't. Now ain't the best time..."

He flipped out his butterfly so fast it was like a blur, the tip suddenly resting just under my chin.

"It's his_ family," _I explained quickly, "man... the kid's got one bad-assed set of brothers who pack one hell of a punch, with friends to boot. In the morning..." I felt the tip of the blade start to dig in, I was so scared I about pissed myself. "... - in the morning I'll go and get it. You'll be paid up man... I swear."

T.J. backed off. "What's the kid's name?"

"Curtis," I said, knowing there was no way out of it.

He looked at me through slitted eyes and lit a Camel. Then his fist flew at me, first hitting me hard on the chin followed by a second landing square in my chest, damned near shutting down my lungs. I never saw either punch coming and doubled over, falling to my knees. For the first time in days, the ache for another hit took second place to another feeling. Pain.

"Get me my money, Curly, or next time I'll break your legs. Kapishe?" he asked, snuffing out the Camel on my neck, burning me but I didn't flinch, too busy trying to breathe again.

I coughed, trying to suck in air. "Yeah man, I got it. I got it."

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	13. Static Charge

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 13

**Static Charge**

XXX

Pony sat on the bed, poking a little at his leg.

"Whadja do now?" I asked as I grabbed some bedtime clothes from my drawer.

Pony looked up. "Tripped over a tree root."

I looked over, dried blood had smeared over a gash on his knee. "Better go clean it."

He got up, limping to the bathroom._ Tree root, my ass_, I thought, but Pony was not the most agile of teenagers. He could run faster than anyone, sure; but just walking was at times a challenge. I crawled in bed, noticing his sketchbooks were out. I picked up a small one and flipped through it.

"Hey, this is pretty good," I called out. He came back in, soapy washcloth in hand and scowled.

"You ain't supposed to be looking at that."

"Since when are your drawings off limits? What, you drawing girls in here somewhere? Any nudes?" I laughed, flipping through the rest of the pad. I was curious what types of artistic renderings his imagination could create with some long overdue hormonal persuasion, but it was full of boring bridges and drawings of animals instead. He reached over and snatched it away.

"Funny, Sodapop." He tossed the sketchpad on his desk and flipped off the light, squirming into the sheets. He lay unusually stiff and still next to me, his arms rigid. I glanced over, noticing his wide eyed stare.

"Something wrong?"

"I just got a bad feeling 'bout something, that's all."

I pulled up on an elbow, looking at him closer. "Like what?"

He grimaced. "I... it..." he sighed, obviously frustrated. "I just thought I was being followed tonight, before Darry picked me up."

"Why would anyone be following you? Something going on we need to know about?" He played with the fraying edge of the sheet too long. "Ponyboy?"

"Curly stopped me tonight."

I wasn't just curious anymore but kept it cool. "What did_ he_ want?"

"Nothing much. Smokes, some money. Told him I didn't have none of either and that I had to get going."

"And?"

He turned to look at me, shrugging some before turning to stare at the ceiling again. "And -_ nothing_. I left and came home."

"But you said you were followed..."

"No, I said I _thought_ I was being followed. I never saw anyone. Probably just me being stupid or something."

"This have anything to do with your leg being messed up?" Curious how the two events happened in the same night. However, the look he gave told me one had nothing to do with the other. Still, I didn't like this but had no idea what to say about it. I relaxed some, thinking this out when Pony turned to me again.

"Curly's using something, ain't he?"

It wasn't really a question so much as it was a conclusion. I nodded. "Yeah. Darry and me, we're pretty sure he's doping. I know you and him used to be buds and all, but do everyone a favor, will ya? Stay away from him, at least until he cleans up." Pony didn't answer, just lay there, eyes scanning the ceiling until I nudged his shoulder. "Ponyboy? Really, stay away from him."

He nodded. "Sure." Pony turned on his side putting an end to our talk so I settled back to try to sleep. Admittedly, I was tired; but with so much swirling in my head it took a lot longer to drift off. When morning eventually came, I wasn't anymore rested than I was before going to bed.

XXX

"What's up with you?" Darry was leaning against the counter watching me, coffee mug in one hand, folded newspaper forgotten in the other.

"Nothing. Just thinking stuff over."

"You?" he teased, tossing the paper on the counter. "Must be something big."

"Might be, might not be." I glanced down the hall, the shower still going strong. "Pony mentioned he thought he was being followed last night."

"I picked him up, didn't see no one around. What makes him think he was followed?"

I grimaced. "He sort of had a run-in with Curly."

Darry put the coffee mug down, eyes trailing down the hallway while standing a bit taller as well. "What did Curly want?"

"Pony said he'd wanted some smokes - and some money. Since Ponyboy didn't have neither, he came home. Sounds strange to me, like there's something not right about that."

"Yeah, no kidding." Darry's face didn't look satisfied, and I also felt there was more to this. What, however, I didn't know. The shower stopped and the sounds of the curtain being pulled back echoed down the hall. Darry dumped the rest of his coffee into his thermos and grabbed his lunch. "Ponyboy," he called loudly as the bathroom door opened.

"Yeah?"

"C'mere."

Pony appeared in the kitchen wearing only a towel, water dripping everywhere. "Whassup?"

"Hang around the house today, you got me? Don't go wandering off like you've been doing."

He looked at me. "I take it you told him about me seeing Curly?" he asked with annoyance. "Dar, I ain't gonna go hunting Curly down. He's on drugs, I got it, but I ain't gonna go messing with that stuff, you know that. Don't put me on lockdown just because Curly happened to speak to me."

"I ain't putting you on lockdown, but I do want to know where you are. Besides, you're still limping pretty bad and there's a ton of stuff to do around here. You know we got that inspection soon, may as well get a jump on cleaning before it's a real issue."

"Great," he said with thick sarcasm. "For my first report on what I did over summer vacation, I can write all about getting dust bunnies out from under my bed."

"If you find my spare DX shirt," I said as I ruffled his damp hair, "could ya throw it in the wash? I'm missing one somewhere."

"I thought you'd at least back me up!" he grumbled, smacking my hand away as I went to find my shoes in the living room.

"Pony, if it keeps you safe, I'd order you on lockdown myself. But... thankfully, the State gave that job to Darry," I teased, "so I ain't got to be the bad guy."

"Gee, thanks Sodapop," Darry muttered, throwing me a go-to-hell look.

I found my shoes just as Steve pulled up. "Gotta split. I'll call home later, see how you're doing. Bye!"

I left them still hashing out the fairness of being stuck at home all day and hopped in with Steve, grabbing a smoke from the dash.

"What's eating you?" he asked halfway there.

"Nothing, I hope."

"Now that just has Ponyboy written _alllll_ over it," he drawled. "Man, I'm glad I ain't got no brothers. That shit gets old. You ever just gonna let him grow up? Ya know, let the kid make mistakes on his own? He ain't gonna get hurt."

"Don't start," I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Okay fine. What's wrong now?" he asked, more resigned to listening to my situation this time.

"Curly. He stopped Ponyboy yesterday."

"Damn."

Finally, he was getting it. "Yep."

"What'd that douche bag want?"

I took another long drag. "Money."

He swerved, nearly clipping a curb. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Double damn." He looked over at me, pushing on my shoulder. "The kid'll be okay, Sodapop. That piece of shit ain't got the balls to mess with him. Not knowing we ain't gonna let him."

I looked over at Steve then back out the window. "I hope not. I really, honest to God, hope not."

XXX

"Stay away from Curly Shepard," Darry'd said before leaving. "The kid's dangerous, and we don't need that breathing down our necks."

I had to agree, but did so silently. Curly was never the smart one, but I never thought he'd succumb to the level of pond scum either. Lots of kids did stints in the reformatory, just not all of them came out more screwed up than when they went in. Shoot, for most it was a vacation.

"Hang out here, clean up the place, read, draw... whatever - but don't leave."

I'd felt myself getting angry at his request, hating being tied down in the house and took it out on a hangnail. "What about the library? Curly ain't gonna go in no library!"

"Look, just do as I ask. When I get home, we'll go do something, head over to the Y maybe, go swimming... maybe the movies, I dunno, but I just want you to stay here today. Okay?"

Not like I had much option. I nodded. "Sure, Dar. I'll stay here. Whoopie."

He gave me a tired grin and left. It was a sacrifice on both our parts... if I stayed here all day caged up where I hated it, then he'd hang out with me later - maybe at a movie, where I knew he'd hate to be too.

I flipped on the set, watching Barbara Eden tease me with her wiggle for a while then got up, resigned to do housework until the insane boredom drove me to my books.

XXX

I'd found a roach, lit it with trembling hands and sucked down the numbingly sweet fumes. Unfortunately, the momentary relief it gave only teased my cravings into an explosion for more. Up the street, I'd watched Steve pull up and haul off with Sodapop, followed moments later by Darry. Since then, the house had been still. I was pretty sure Pony was still inside. I didn't want to walk in on him and try to lie; so I decided to sweat it out a while, hoping he'd leave. Only problem was, I was running out of time. I had to get in there and find whatever dough Darry kept hidden, or swipe something they'd never miss to pawn. One way or another, T.J. was gonna get his dough – today.

XXX

_Well, the dishes are done_, I thought as I wiped my hands on a towel. I scanned the floor, noticing the sticky spots from where someone had spilled who-knows-what, and figured I may as well do the mopping too. I turned on the tap and got the bucket and ammonia, coughing my head off when the fumes hit. This stuff always made my head hurt but it sure cleaned the floor. Down the hall, the buzzer went off on the laundry machine, so I cycled the clothes – dry to the couch, wet to the dryer, and dirty into the washer – before starting with the mop. Behind me, I heard the subtle sound of the screen door closing.

"Two-Bit, we ain't got no beer..." I called out with my back to the door.

"Hey, Curtis."

The voice turned my insides cold. It wasn't Two-Bit. I turned quick, sploshing some water out of the bucket, to find Curly standing in my living room, facing me.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	14. Cracking Thunder

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 14

**Cracking Thunder**

XXX

"Hey Curly, whacha doing?" I asked carefully, feeling my heart thump away in my chest.

He grinned a little, tossing his thumb over his shoulder. "Came to visit. You guys always leave your door open. What, I ain't welcome no more?"

"Didn't say that, but … Darry ain't wanting visitors over right now, I gotta get the place cleaned up … you know, for our state inspection thing." I lifted the mop some, hoping he'd take a hint and just leave.

"To hell with the State. Little secret, they ain't gonna take you nowhere. They got kids stashed in juvie halls and reformatories all over Oklahoma. Kids that get fucked up by parents don't even get picked up, or don't you remember Cade's loving little family?" he turned from me to the mantle where my parent's pictures were displayed. "You're living like a Goddamned king here, Ponyboy, compared to them. Don't you know that?"

Having Curly talk about Johnny like this made my blood boil. "I don't know about living like a king, but I still ain't gonna risk being sent away. I got stuff to do. I'll..."

"You got any money?" he asked abruptly, taking my dad's picture off the mantle, holding it like it was nothing important. I gripped the mop handle tighter. "I need some dough. I gotta have it, whatever you got."

"No, Curly, I told you already, I ain't got no money. Now, put that back and get out."

He looked at the picture and shrugged, smiling – _laughing_ almost. "Yeah, sorry. Forgot, you actually _liked _your family. Too bad they bit the big one. But see, I can't go... not yet. I got a guy... I owe him... a lot. So, just give me whatever Darry's got hidden around here and I'll be on my way."

"Curly, man... what's wrong with you? I told you, I ain't got no mon..." It was quick, I didn't see it coming until it was too late. The framed photo of my dad smashed against my head, knocking me backwards. I scrambled dizzily, broken glass making me slip as my feet failed to find traction.

"What the hell!" I screamed, managing to make it to my feet and tackled him headlong. I heard him grunt as we traded blows but he managed to plant his knee in my groin, sending me sprawling on all fours, sparklers of pain exploding in my vision.

"I need the money, Ponyboy! I don't wanna hurt you, but I ain't leaving without it! Now where you hiding it?"

Curly headed off down my hallway toward Darry's room and I knew I couldn't stop him. I tried to work my feet back under me but the pain down south had me paralyzed. On one side of me on the floor were the remnants of my dad's picture, his eyes bearing into me... I could almost hear his voice telling me to get up and _do _something. On the other side of me was the overturned phone, receiver beeping a fast busy signal. I reached for it, setting it right then dialing the only number I could think of.

"_DX, Steve here, how can..."_

"Steve... help!"

XXX

I looked at the receiver, the line suddenly dead. Still, I knew that voice and he sounded in trouble. I called back. "Come on, kid... you little shit, answer the phone!" Nothing. I looked out the window, Ben was filling up a customer but Sodapop was still nowhere to be seen. _How long does it take to tow a car from six blocks over? _Anger set in, knowing he was probably flirting with the skirt who'd called, since she'd specifically requested him for the tow in the first place.

I looked in the service bays. I had a Ford up on the lift and another car draining oil. Still, this wasn't right. Something just wasn't right!

"Ben, watch the shop!" I yelled as I ran toward my car.

"Me? Steve, you know I ain't allowed..."

"Just watch the shop and tell Sodapop when he gets back to get his ass home!"

I gunned the engine, roaring out of the parking lot hard enough to have my hubs pop off. _Stupid kid, if this was a joke and I lost my job, I'll kill him myself!_

XXX

The line went dead. I managed to get to my feet and work my way down the hall, somehow hoping to get Curly to stop ravaging my house.

"Curly, man... I swear, we ain't got no..."

"You can't fight worth shit compared to me Ponyboy, but you lie good. Hell, I'd almost believe you if I didn't know any better. You always got money somewhere! Now give it up!"

He was in Darry's room, rifling through drawers. I knew Darry had a little money in case of emergency, but where he had it …. I didn't know. Even if I did, I wasn't about to give it to Curly! Still, he was one drawer away from my mother's jewelry box, one of the last things of hers we still had. Most of her jewelry was already gone, pawned when things got desperate. Only her wedding ring, rosary, and a locket remained; hidden in the box just behind Darry's good pair of jeans.

"Ponyboy? Hey, you home?" came a voice from the living room. "Jeeze, what happened in here?"

"Karen, get outta here!" I felt the blood drain from my face as everything spiraled even further out of control.

Curly's eyes went from anger to surprise, then morphed to an evil, lustful expression. "So, you got yourself a girl, huh?"

"Leave her alone!" I said forcefully, moving to block him in the room, keeping some barrier between him and Karen.

"Shoulda known, while big brother's away, little Pony's gonna play! No wonder you didn't leave the house all morning! My, you _have_ changed!"

"I said, leave her alone!" I spat, then called over my shoulder -"Karen... get out!"

"Ponyboy, what's going..." the sudden intake of air behind me told me more than I wanted to know. She was close enough to see Curly, and he likewise saw her.

The next few seconds were a blur. Curly tried to push me away but I swung back; then he uppercut me, dropping me to all fours again and stepped over me.

"Come here... what was that? Karen? Yeah..."

I forced air into my lungs so I could yell - "Leave, Karen! Run!" I got up and stumbled at Curly again, grabbing him around the middle to stop him from getting to her. He turned, cussing me. Now we were swinging at each other, shoving each other across the kitchen and into the living room. One of us tripped over the bucket, diluted ammonia spilling everywhere. Somewhere in the distance, tires squealed. I hoped that was Karen, getting the hell outta here. I tried to look but only got clopped by a bottle over my head, warm fluid trickling down my neck as I swung back blindly.

"Shepard!"

A voice I vaguely recognized shouted from a distance, snatching my attention. A sudden glint of metal flashed in the air, blurred, then disappeared. Instantly, I felt a white hot pain burrow into my side, twisting hard, stopping me in my tracks. My vision went weird on me, everything going bright then funneling, darkness curling in on the edges. Around me, I heard grunts and curses, something else broke... glass, I think, and then I just gave in to the darkness, letting it pull me away.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	15. Distributary

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 15

**Distributary**

XXX

Even from outside the fence, I could hear the crashing sounds of a fight going on, the cursing and grunting of two guys battling it out getting worse by the second. One voice was Ponyboy's, the other... not surprisingly, Curly's. I _knew _that hood was nothing but trouble!

Half a block down and running hard was Two-Bit, somehow already alerted to the melee. We all knew Pony was a decent fighter, but his fighting principles were based on self-defense. Curly's were honed from day one to be destructive - and the look on his face through the screen door was deadly. I ripped the door off the remaining hinge getting inside but still didn't get in there fast enough. A beer bottle rolled out from the couch; Curly slammed it against the kid's head, beer and blood streaming down his face.

"Shepard!"

My screaming didn't even phase him, but unfortunately, it seemed to distract the kid. In one fluid motion, Curly pulled a blade from his pocket, flipped it out and lunged before I could do a damn thing to stop him. The moment the blade disappeared, the kid's face went white, his expression too agonized to describe before he faltered. Curly still wasn't done but I wasn't going to let him get a second chance... I grabbed the lamp by the couch, smashing it against his head. He dropped instantly.

"Ponyboy!" Two-Bit's voice was tearing up the porch steps behind me. "Holy shit ... _Pony_!"

The kid was twisted, laying bent on the floor. Two-Bit dove past me, cradling him and about to turn him.

"Two-Bit stop!" I called out, seeing the handle sticking out. "Jesus Christ, the blade's still in him!"

"Ponyboy, kiddo, you with us?" Two-Bit shook him carefully but the kid lay limp in his arms.

I felt his neck, the steady _thunk thunk thunk_ present under my fingers. "Don't pull it... I'm gonna call for help. Where the hell is the phone?"

"Table, or what's left of it. Wake up, Ponyboy... c'mon, wake up, wake up, wake up ..."

I found the phone, realizing why the line was dead. "Son of a bitch! The wire's been pulled." I flipped out my blade, quickly working the wire back in.

"Steve, man... hurry your ass up!"

"Gimme a minute! I'm a mechanic, not an electrician!"

"_Steve!"_

I fumbled with the wires, they seemed to hold. "Got it! How's he doing?" I looked over, Two-Bit's strained expression told me enough. I slipped the connection back in the jack and called an ambulance, the cops were also on the way.

"How the hell did you find out -?" I barked as I dialed the DX next. I could just see Ben not telling Soda like I'd told him to, too scared he'd get fired for being at the station alone. The boss didn't trust him for anything more than cashiering and gas jockeying, since he had sticky fingers and no real car sense whatsoever.

"Come on, buddy... hang on... just hang on." Two-Bit held the kid tight, his face as sobered and serious as I'd ever seen him. "Karen came running home, saying there was trouble and to hurry. You kill him?"

I glanced over, Curly lay on the other side of the overturned coffee table, not moving. I kicked his leg, he moaned and was still again. "No, lucky bastard."

Waiting for the ambulance was nerve wracking, wondering if it'd ever get here and worrying myself into knots if it didn't in time. Two-Bit had the same expression on his face. God help either of us if we were just gonna stand by and let the kid bleed to death all over his own floor. Just when I was about to get on the phone again, a siren sounded in the distance. Help was almost here.

"Soda and Darry on the way?" Two-Bit called over, making me wince. I still had to call Darry. This was _not_ gonna be easy.

XXX

_Get home_ was all the boss had said. In two years of working for him, never once has he climbed on the roof and flat out told me to leave. I knew I wasn't fired, but he didn't explain either. The look on his face was serious; something had happened and I had to go home.

Home.

Ponyboy.

Dear God ... _no_ ….

The forty minute drive was cut nearly in half as I skidded around corners and recklessly ran lights. My stomach wrenched in and out of knots, anguished as to what I'd find. Once home, cops stood outside my house like there was a party going on. Steve's car was parked like a drunk would leave it, half on - half off my yard with glass all over the ground, the passenger window obliterated into pieces all over the ground. Steve, hands cuffed behind his back, stood between two officers next to a patrol car while Two-Bit was on my porch with two other officers, his sister at his side.

Everyone had notebooks out, pens scribbling away furiously.

I threw it in neutral and slammed the parking brake down, then jumped from the truck.

"Hold on, buddy, you can't..."

"That's my house!" I barked, shoving the cop's hand out of my way and going around him.

"Darry!" Two-Bit called, jumping off my porch and heading to me, his kid sister right behind him.

"What happened?"

"Curly came back..." he started, only to be drowned out by a second cop.

"Mr. Curtis, are you the guardian of..." cop number two began but I cut him off.

"Where's Ponyboy?" I demanded, noticing his sister's puffy red eyes. Tears leaked out, falling on her face as she wiped them away. I felt a cold ripple as I understood everyone's pained expressions.

"He's been taken to Tulsa Regional," the cop answered.

"Soda?"

"He's with him," Two-Bit managed. "Hurry."

XXX

I should feel pain, I thought, but I didn't. Nor did I know how I'd gotten here or where I'd just been.. but it didn't seem to matter, as long as I kept walking. Darkness enveloped me as I walked along. The woods had never been this dark, not even shadows were visible; the sky above darker than any new moon I'd ever experienced. I wasn't cold, nor could I say I was hot, but the air had a charge to it. It gave me goosebumps, not knowing what to expect.

I knew the path, where each dip in the ground would be, where the roots stuck out waiting to trip the unsuspecting. Ahead was where the loose granite rocks would start to take over the path; the old rails curving along just barely visible as the ground had already started to swallow them – time continuing its slow march, absorbing the forgotten past.

A past even I was forgetting as well.

The trestle was around the bend, just beyond the tulip tree. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there. Across the trestle, fireflies – the only illumination around – lit up the opposite bank. I stopped, leaning against the _Warning! Do Not Cross!_ sign and watched for a bit. I was in no hurry to do anything and didn't feel one bit pressed for time.

They danced in the darkness, flitting here and there, within the woods and just outside of the treeline. It made me sleepy, watching them. I was nearly asleep when movement caught my eye. I froze, figuring it was the deer, but wondered why they were across on the other side of the trestle and not below where the stream was.

"Hey, Ponyboy."

The soft voice warmed my heart. From the darkness opposite me, movement stirred the fireflies, sending them back into the woods. However, not everything was dark. An ethereal glow illuminated the woods, and from there stepped Johnny.

"Long time no see," he said with a half smile.

I didn't know if I should be afraid or delighted, if this was real or my nutty imagination screwing with me again, but I went with it... after all, it was _Johnny_, the one guy I wasn't related to that I'd trusted with everything. Even my life.

I started across the trestle. "Johnny, I..."

"Hold up kid," another voice said. I stopped in my tracks and looked beyond Johnny. Dallas swaggered in from the darkness behind him, smoking a cigarette and pointed at the sign. "You never pay attention. I swear kid, I thought you'd have seen it enough by now."

"What?" I wondered, mystified. Since when do rules screw with my imagination? Still, I looked at what Dallas was pointing to, the_ Warning! Do Not Cross!_ sign being the only thing around.

"You can't cross the bridge, Pony. That's all." Johnny explained, shrugging and slouching at the same time.

"I can't cross the trestle?"

"_Bridge_, kid," Dallas corrected. His wiry grin was good to see again. "Jesus, call it what it is... a _bridge._"

"You are _so _gonna be in trouble," Johnny laughed at him.

"Eh, He likes me," Dal shrugged, his blue eyes shining. "I ain't worried."

"Guys, what's going on?"

"Whaddya _think_ is going on?" Dal asked, flicking his ashes against the warning sign on his side of the divide.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking," I volleyed right back.

"You ain't changed a bit," Johnny grinned, his black eyes just as happy as I remembered from when we were in Windrixville.

"_You_ have."

"Ah... don't start getting mushy on us, kid. It ain't you."

"So, what is this?"

"You haven't forgotten, Ponyboy." Johnny said simply, pushing his hair back and to the side like he used to wear it.

"Forgotten what?"

"Kid, you're a piece of work, you know that?" Dal teased, squinting so that his lynx-like ears raised up a little.

"Your hour ain't up, Pony." Johnny said softly. "It's still dawn."

"Man, enough with that poem already! Do I _really_ gotta hear it for all eternity!" Dal screeched, flinging his arms out while tossing his butt away.

"Hey Dal?" I called over, getting his attention.

"Wha?" he looked at me quizzically, his animal teeth just as razor sharp as his personality.

"You'll probably think I'm crazy, but Johnny left me a message to ask you to go look at a sunset." Both me and Johnny started cracking up at the same time. It felt good to laugh again.

Obviously he didn't think it was so funny. He shook his head, lighting up another stick. "Always the wise ass."

"You okay now, Pone?"

I nodded, my throat starting to hitch up. Whatever this was, I knew it was coming to an end.

"It was still worth it. All of it, ya dig?"

I knew what he was saying. "Yeah, I know."

"Here come the waterworks," Dal grumbled, talking to no one. "I _knew_ I couldn't escape it."

"Naw, he's gonna be fine," Johnny said softly, watching me with understanding eyes.

"Yeah, I got the memo too. We done yet?" he asked, annoyed.

Johnny smirked. "What? You got somewhere else to be?"

"Kid, don't get mouthy."

Johnny smiled, winking at me. I tried to not laugh, but it sure was funny.

"Alright, enough already," Dal sensed that the joke was on him. "Kid," he said, pointing to me with the cigarette held between his fingers, "wise up some. The rest... let it go."

For a moment, Johnny and I just stood there as Dal retreated back into the woods.

"Johnny, I..." He held out his hand, palm up, waving away my words. Like old times, he read my eyes and I read his.

"I already know, Ponyboy. I already know. And ... you'll be fine. I promise."

I nodded slightly, not able to say anything. Then, he turned and disappeared just as Dally had a moment before. The fireflies, too, were gone; darkness casting shadows on everything. Only the soft constant flow of the water below could be heard. I wiped my eyes and turned, ready to head home again.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose

I hope you have as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it. I kept picturing Dal, stuck for all eternity having Johnny quoting Robert Frost... payback of sorts... maybe His form of heavenly torture. Anyway... thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them!


	16. Vortex

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 16

**Vortex**

XXX

Curly was desperate, T.J. could sense it. He was running out of time, especially since he'd promised to have the money today. A few inquiries told T.J. that Curly used to hang with a Ponyboy Curtis. A few more inquiries told him where this Ponyboy Curtis lived. It was disappointing to say the least when he'd pulled up a block away to eyeball the place. Ramshackle house with overgrown grass and a yard littered with car parts and ladders, T.J. doubted anyone who lived like this could pay off Curly's debt. Still, he was bored and decided to hang out anyway. Afterall, if Curly did manage to get the dough, T.J. was pretty sure he'd just skip town with it or use it to buy more blow from someone else.

And_ that _just wouldn't be tolerated.

Curly'd arrived as expected, then everything went south. Some girl showed up one minute then tore off the next._ Damn Curly, couldn't even handle some whiny girl half his size._ T.J. turned to leave then decided to stay. Afterall, he would still have to have a chat with Curly later... it'd be nice to know where to find him.

A car screeched to a halt outside the house just as another kid came running down the street. Screams, something broke … T.J. almost wished to go join in the fun. Since his brother'd gotten busted, life had been sort of boring lately. Still, he stayed put – a wise decision.

Within a few more minutes, sirens were wailing in the distance – cops and an ambulance both. T.J. sunk back into the shadows, blending in with the other neighborhood gawkers as the show went on. He was glad he'd left his car around the corner. No one would know a thing.

Cops went in, ambulance workers followed. A kid wearing mechanic's clothes was brought out and slammed on some cop's hood, told to spread'em and was searched before being handcuffed. The runner from down the street came out too, one cop on either side of him as he animated here and there with his hands. The girl who'd run off came back, grabbed the runner and held on tight. _Cute_, thought T.J. _A little young perhaps, but maybe she gives good head. _

Then Curly was brought out, staggering some as he was led to a cop's car and tossed inside. _Failure. Stupid piece of shit. Worthless._ T.J. wondered how his brother ever found a loser like Curly. Then again, they were both in the reformatory when they'd met. Such fine upstanding examples of today's youth. _Idiots, the both of them_.

He was about to leave when another car came barreling around the corner. He was glad he didn't, as the show was just getting better. This hothead nearly took out the fence before stopping just as someone was being brought out on a stretcher. _Hmmm, interesting_. _Who was this person? _Then T.J. remembered - that Curtis person Curly was going to see. His chest was bandaged with what looked to be a handle sticking out of the bandages. The newcomer lost it, charging toward the stretcher before being stopped by the runner, struggling to get free. Before he knew it, words were exchanged and then the newcomer took out the window of the car the mechanic had been driving, his fist shattered it with one punch.

That seemed to piss off the cops, one of whom started to pull out his club as he walked over. The mechanic, still in cuffs and laying like a hood ornament on the squad car, shouted that it was his car and didn't care what his buddy did to it. T.J. couldn't help but smile. _See? Now__ that's __a buddy. Fuck the car, you can steal another one later!_

Anyway, after that, things settled down and got boring again. The kid was loaded in the back of the ambulance, the window-smashing renegade crawled in the back and went along for the ride, the runner was enveloped by police, and the mechanic was finally allowed to stand up. Cuffed, but up. For all intensive purposes, the action was over. T.J. headed back to his Barracuda, wondering where he could find a piece of pipe and an out-of-the-way place to use it in.

XXX

If I didn't know any better, I'd think the darkened path was leading me in circles. It seemed to go on forever and I was almost certain I'd already passed this particular maple tree once before. Winded and sweaty from the hike back, I paused breathless to see streetlights glowing in the school's parking lot ahead. Wiping the sweat off my face, I trudged onward, finally onto open solid ground. Man, how did I get this out of shape?

"Didja see them?" I asked Darry and Sodapop, who were waiting for me under one of the lights.

They looked at me strangely, Soda touched my shoulder while Darry felt my head. "Who, Pone?"

"They're back there," I said, thumbing behind me.

They looked at each other and made strange faces, then chuckled a bit. "You've been right here, kiddo."

"No, seriously guys, they're..." I looked behind me, the path growing dim and hazy, like sidewalk drawings being washed away in rain. I looked back at them, confused.

"He's still got some sedation running around in his system." Darry said carefully, as if he were having another conversation entirely. I didn't know who he was talking to. "Not to mention enough pain killers to drop an elephant. Give it time, it'll wear off."

"No ... dang it, Darry..." I started, confused and angry at whatever this was. I tried to argue but Darry pressed his hand onto my other shoulder, making me be still.

"Knock it off, little buddy. Lay still and go back to sleep."

"Hush, Ponyboy," commanded Sodapop softly, wiping the sweat off my face with a cloth he'd found. "We'll be right here."

I didn't know what was going on. The forest had changed, the parking lot was melting away too. Soda talked to me in a low voice, and very quickly I felt myself riding along in a wave of darkness on a dry river, heading for a silent waterfall. Without warning, the waves bobbled and I slid off into a heavy, comforting sleep.

XXX

"When are you coming home?" she asked, waving away the smoke.

"Missing me already, eh there, sis?" I rubbed my jaw, the stubble more like sandpaper. I was dog tired and dropped the humor act, Karen wasn't buying it anyway. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Why? Ma wanting something?"

"No, I was just wondering."

"_Worrying_, you mean, and don't. Everything's gonna be fine." I fished some change from my pocket and handed it to her. "Go home. I don't want you out after dark. Tell Ma I'll be here another night but should be back tomorrow before she goes to work." She wasn't convinced but did as I told her. I watched as she hopped the bus then turned to go back inside.

Me, Steve and Sodapop were living on caffeine, nicotine, and whatever cheap slop the cafeteria had. Darry was doing the same, minus the nicotine. If the stress continued for a few more days, I was willing to bet even he'd cave to that level. The last two days have_ not_ been easy.

Steve was hauled in, Sodapop's hand was in bandages after having broken it over Steve's window, and Darry had all but shut down, refusing any emotion to chip his armor. I understood, certain that if Darry were allowed to vent, a simple car window wouldn't be enough. Back at the house, it was all I could do to get Sodapop to focus again.

"_Don't,_ Soda... Pony needs you.. _Ponyboy,_ Sodapop... Ponyboy!" I'd said the kid's name over and over, finally getting Sodapop to downgrade off DEFCON 1. He'd been so explosively pissed, even his eyes were red. Waves of anger still radiated off him when I'd found them at the hospital.

Soda's hand was splinted and taped by the time the results were back.

_Surgery, minimal damage, minor blood loss, small scar, home in a few days if all goes well._

The relief was immense. Soda'd come up with some excuse to leave and later, when he'd come back, his eyes were pink and the tense stance he'd held the whole time was gone. Darry said nothing and neither did I. I may love repeating eleventh grade, but I wasn't stupid.

Steve joined us the next day, his stories of being in the cooler for the night almost as humorous as watching the kid mumbling nonsense. Eventually we just sat around playing cards while watching television, whiling the hours away until the kid could go back home again.

XXX

I looked in from the doorway, momentarily watching him sleep before joining the guys at the table. Soda looked up from his cards as I sat down. "He asleep?"

I nodded, picking up my own hand. "Yeah. He'll probably be out until morning."

"Considering the goodies they sent him home with, I'd say so."

Two-Bit laughed but he wasn't exaggerating. There were bottles containing all kinds of pills in the kitchen, each with complicated directions. Two he had to take in the morning on an empty stomach, another he had to take a couple times a day; one for pain, another for infection. Seems all he was doing was popping pills and sleeping; still, I was glad to have him home again.

"He still has to go back in two weeks, right Dar?" Soda asked, glancing over at the calender. "A check up and to get those stitches out?"

"Yep, provided everything goes okay." I'd made the appointment as far into the afternoon as I could, my boss already riding my ass about how much time I'd been off the job sight with Pony in the hospital. Now that he was home, Mr. Campbell wanted me back to work.

"The kid'll be fine," Two-Bit insisted, taking a card then scowling. The gate outside pinged as metal hit metal and everyone tensed, turning to look. I relaxed; it was just Steve, back from his second trip downtown.

He'd been held in custody after the stabbing, admitting to the investigating officer that he'd busted my lamp over Curly's head to stop him. Apparently, that's also considered assault, but the cops changed their minds the next morning and released him without filing any charges. However, they were still bugging him for more details about what had happened. Details Steve said he didn't know.

_What_ had happened was simple – Curly'd buried his switch in Pony's side. _Why _he'd done it was a secret he wouldn't budge on. Not that he was going to get out of juvie as easily as Steve got out of holding. Aside from some speeding tickets, Steve's record was clean. Curly, however, was still on probation for last fall's armed robbery; and now had assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery, and being under the influence to round out his charges.

"Hey," he mumbled as he joined us. "See you got the door fixed."

"Yep." The screen door had been laying against the side of the house since the attack. I'd put off fixing it until today. "I added a lock to it too."

"Gonna start locking up now?" Two-Bit asked.

I nodded. "Until this gets put behind us, I think I'd better."

"You ain't got to worry about that, it's behind us," Steve said with finality, his expression blank.

"Yeah," Two-Bit said bitterly. "If Curly shows up here again, he's gonna have a lot more to deal with than just Ponyboy."

"Curly ain't gonna show up - here or nowhere else." Steve pulled a rolled up piece of paper paper from his back pocket and tossed it onto the table on his way to the kitchen. "He's dead."

"What?" I asked, snatching the paper first. It was all handwritten, using a form that someone had filled in the answers to. I cringed when I understood what I was holding - a police report from the Tulsa PD. From the look and feel of the paper, it seemed to be the original. Still, I had to ask. "Is this a police report?"

"Yeah," he called out from the bowels of my refrigerator. From his tone, he sounded pleased with himself. He was nearly laughing when he muttered, "hope they had more copies."

"You_ stole _a police report?" Soda squeaked. I wasn't sure if he was impressed or terrified.

"Hey, I had to do something to pass the time. Sitting around in the police station gets real boring after a while. Two hours in and they'd forgotten I was there, the cop I was supposed to see off doing something else. It was easy. Real easy. They never saw a thing."

I wanted to give him the what-for over it, but was too busy trying to read the report. He'd made off with only one page but it was enough. I deciphered the cursive scribble to learn that they'd found Curly's ID on his body, however his body wasn't exactly in good condition. The particulars explaining that were to be found on page two, except there was no page two. I looked up as Soda tried to read it over my shoulder. His expression was more confused than mine.

"He's dead? How?" Soda asked with disbelief.

"I thought they had him in lock-up." Two-Bit looked just as shocked as we did.

"They did," Steve answered, popping a beer and sitting down. "However, according to what the cops were saying at the station, someone claiming to be Tim sprung him."

"Tim didn't do nothing of the sort." I shook my head to that idea and flicked the paper away like chips in a poker game. Two-Bit snatched it up while my thoughts wandered back to that night. I knew I was in for a long vigil so after Pony'd been brought out of surgery, I'd slipped off to the cafeteria to get some coffee.

*X*X*

"Curtis?"

I'd turned, finding Tim standing alone behind me and nodded a dry greeting. "Hey Tim."

"I heard. How's the kid?"

"He was stabbed with a switchblade, how do you think he's doing?" _Your brother's switchblade,_ I added silently, my anger held in check. Tim's eyes were hard like usual but his concern was genuine. I relented, rubbing the headache that had built up between my temples. "A few days here to make sure he'll be okay, then home to recuperate. If I were you, I'd make myself scarce for a while. Soda's a little pissed right now."

"And you're not?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm better at controlling it. Besides, you didn't do it, now did you?"

Tim raised his eyebrows and shook his head, understanding completely. "No, I didn't. I ain't staying, just wanted you to know Curly ain't gonna be bothering your boys for a long time. They got him in county, ain't gonna get out anytime soon neither. My folks ain't springing him - what with Angela so freaked out. He sure as hell ain't welcome at my place, and nobody else wants him around either. Maybe some time rotting in solitary will fix him... or maybe not. Whatever the case, until he cleans up, I'm done with him."

I stirred my coffee, not having much to say to that. I didn't know where my limit lay with what I'd take from my brothers, but Tim had found his. I grabbed a bag of donuts to take upstairs to Soda and the guys then nodded. "Thanks, Tim."

*X*X*

I hadn't seen Tim since, but he was doing what I'd asked – giving us time alone. And now, the tables were turned.

Steve had another pull at the beer, his expression numb. "Nup, he didn't. But whoever he was, he'd claimed to be Tim - and Curly apparently never said anything different. They left the juvenile facility before noon, his body found out behind The Barnyard around six. Whoever he was, if he was the one who did Curly in, he didn't show no mercy. He broke both his legs before beating him to death."

"_Beat_ him to death?" Two-Bit reiterated, disbelief in his tone as he dropped the report.

Steve nodded. "Yep. Beat him to death. Cops said it was ugly, whoever'd done it had used a pipe."

We were silent a second, the shock sinking in. Curly had a ton of guys who didn't like him, some even hated him... but I couldn't name a single person with enough contempt for Curly Shepard to want to kill him - especially in a manner as brutal as a pipe.

"How'd you get all this?" I asked carefully, hoping our voices weren't being carried down the hall.

He shrugged. "Like I said, it was a long afternoon and they didn't know I was listening. Simple."

"Tim know?" Soda asked, his face paler than before.

"By now? Probably." Steve looked at the cards but didn't seem interested, decking them face down on the table and pulled out a smoke to light up. "You gonna go over and see him?"

I rubbed my eyes, feeling much older than my age and worn out from everything happening around me. Burying family is never easy, and even _if_ Curly was the black sheep of his family, deep down Tim would still be affected. Of course I'd go, but it wouldn't be tonight. I looked down my darkened hallway, knowing where I had to be - here, in case he needed me.

"Later. Maybe tomorrow, after work."

Two-Bit tossed his cards into the center of the table, me and Soda flicked our cards onto the pile too. Steve eventually got up and flipped on the TV before kicking off his shoes, stretching out on the couch. Soda went to watch TV with him while I went to check the back door, making sure it was locked. On my way back I paused by Pony's darkened bedroom, his form still curled around the pillow just as he was two hours ago. Another ping of metal made me squint through the broken blinds, watching as Two-Bit headed out the gate toward his home.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose

A/N My apologies for the long wait. Issues, issues, issues. Hope the wait was worth it. A special thanks to Feisty, your input was greatly appreciated! Calla


	17. Trickling Springs

**Divining Rod **

Chapter 17

**Trickling Springs**

XXX

Two days home and he was already breaking the rules. Ponyboy, sporting an awful case of bed head, appeared in the living room wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top. I looked up at him.

"Why're you outta bed?"

"Little hungry, little bored. I can't stand being cooped up all day, you know that."

For the record, I did. Still, that's where the doc said he'd needed to be and that's where I was determined to keep him. That is, until Sodapop took his side.

"Bout time you managed to crawl back to civilization," Sodapop teased, getting up and heading for the kitchen. "Hungry? I made some sandwiches."

"Yeah, starved." They traded places, Pony sprawling out by me on the couch as Sodapop rummaged in the cabinets. He rubbed his side carefully. "Darry, uh, you ain't told me - what happened to Curly? He back in the reformatory?"

Soda slid a plate over to him on the coffee table; looking at me to give him the news. I did so carefully, measuring out my words.

"Curly's dead, Pone."

His usually dusky greens momentarily looked like emeralds on a sea of white. Clearly, he wasn't expecting this. "How?"

"Someone got him out of juvie," I explained, "then beat him to death. We don't know any more."

Soda sat on his other side, none of us saying anything. Eventually he reached over and took a bite of his sandwich, chewing it carefully. I watched him, noticing how his hand shook faintly but seemed to hold everything else in. I sighed, realizing he'd have to know now about tomorrow. My time off had come to an end.

"Pone, I have to go back to work in the morning. Sodapop too. You gonna be okay here by yourself?"

He looked at me and over at Sodapop, then slightly nodded.

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Lock the doors and stay home. Just because Soda and I ain't gonna be here don't mean you can roam the country. Take your medicine like you're supposed to and nothing more. If there's any trouble, you know to call us. Otherwise, stay here and rest. Reading me, little man?"

He nodded again. "Yeah. Sure."

I hoped so.

XXX

Sunlight glinted in through the broken window blinds, shining right in my eyes and waking me up. Not that I'd slept much last night – or slept _well_ for that matter. Too many thoughts kept swirling in the blackness of my mind. Curly? Dead? _How? _I had my suspicions but didn't want to believe them. Nothing made sense. I rolled onto my stomach, trying to move out of the bright beams while rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

If Darry knew anything more, he wasn't telling me. The few details Sodapop'd whispered last night didn't reveal much either, not that it'd make a difference. Curly would still be dead. I wished I could just go back to sleep and dream about the bridge again; the last time had seemed so real I'd swear I'd been there. Soda'd sworn I was in the hospital the whole time, still it seemed more than a dream. Everything had been so tangible but I had no way to prove it.

Besides, if I_ could_ somehow dream of the bridge again, maybe Johnny and Dal would tell me what had happened to Curly. Then again, maybe not. They weren't all that clear about anything the last time. Still, it'd be better than nothing.

"Anyone home?" As expected, there was no answer. Tired of laying around, I sat up, guarding my side with my arm. The pain wasn't too bad, only being sharp when I made sudden movements. The stitches itched constantly but according to Darry, I was healing fine.

The house was locked up, front door bolted shut when I came out. It wasn't natural and gave me goosebumps. Even though Darry was trying to protect me, the door being shut and locked made me feel more a prisoner than anything. I went and opened it, letting the breeze blow through the screen. I noticed he'd also put a lock on the screen door too. For a second I debated locking it, but didn't. I refused to live in fear, no matter what it cost me. Besides, how was Two-Bit to get in if I locked it?

Where was Two-Bit anyway? He'd either been fired from his job as my bodyguard or was playing hooky, either situation piquing my curiosity. I'd go over later maybe, check things out. I swallowed the pills Darry'd left me on the table and munched on some dry cereal, then took in the rest of the living room. It looked a little different.

The coffee table was back in its place but the lamp was missing from the side table. Even the throw rug where Curly'd stabbed me was gone. I guessed Darry couldn't get the stain out and tossed it. It wasn't worth a whole lot; just a shoddy rug that kept the floor from being cold in the winter, but it was unusual to see the floorboards beneath the coffee table now. I'd forgotten how the room looked without it.

Forgetting. That was all I seemed to be doing these days. With all that I'd forgotten, it was a miracle I remembered anything anymore.

"_... you haven't forgotten..."_

The cereal bowl fell from my hands as a soft voice called back to me.

"_... you ... haven't … forgotten ..."_

I blinked hard. Details flooded my memory like negatives burned onto my retinas. The picture was clear, the vagueness, gone. I didn't even register the Cocoa Puffs all over the floor as I went back to my room and grabbed the first sketchpad I could find. A large one, which was good since I was gonna need it. I rushed outside as fast as my stinging side would let me. Once beneath the shade of our oak, I settled against the trunk and began to sketch.

I had to hold myself back a few times, knowing if I rushed, it wouldn't be right. Little by little the images came out; lynx ears, sharp teeth, angled jawlines, slouching stance – details surged forward faster than I could draw them. Even details as minute as how a cigarette would dangle from his lower lip played in my mind. It didn't just dangle, it bounced when he spoke. On paper, they were frozen, stuck in one pose forever, but in my mind they were alive, moving – a replay of action, like in my dream at the trestle. Bridge. Whatever.

Dark eyes on one, brilliant blue on another. The way their hair parted in different places was as unique as they were. If I thought the image was wrong or fuzzy, I only had to close my eyes and relax... and there they'd be again, smiling and smirking and telling me off just for the hell of it. The memory was so real, I laughed at it.

"Hey," a voice called out from the back door. I looked up, pulled out of my reverie. "You gone nuts or is laughing at yourself a side effect of the small pharmacy on your table?"

I grinned, glad for some company. "Maybe a little of both. How ya been?"

Karen shrugged, making her way across the yard, a shoebox tucked under an arm. "Good, I guess. You_ do_ know you have something brown and crunchy all over your kitchen floor, right?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding with an embarrassed grin. "Which reminds me, I gotta get that swept up before anyone gets home. I've got some time though. So, what have you been up to?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much. Mom's making me stay home a lot more – that's about as old as Methuselah by now. So much for me getting a job. Makes me wonder what kind of rotten summer vacation this is turning into." She plopped down in the grass next to me, setting that shoebox next to her and looked at me rather pointedly. "I was gonna come see you when you were in the hospital, but... I dunno. Somehow I don't think it would'a been okay. Two-Bit'd said you were better. Are ya?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I got a hole in my side, but it's no big deal," I chuckled, ignoring the sting laughing created. "Darry don't want me out much either, but I really ain't up to going out anyway." I left it at that, not telling her that I get real tired awful easily and that my side hurts worse if I'm up and moving a lot. Darry and Soda told me it would go away by the time school starts and I'd be back to my old self. "I was worried 'bout you," I admitted suddenly.

"Me? What the heck for? You're the one that got hurt."

"Yeah, but I didn't know what had happened to you – if you'd gotten away or not." I'd asked Soda about it one night. I was still sort of fuzzy and the look he'd given me was strange, but he smiled and promised she was safe and sound.

She blushed, smiling. "I did. Tore outta there like nothing, heading straight for home to get some help. Figured you'd need it."

"Me? Heck no, I was um... I just..." I felt my face get hot too, stumbling over my words. I gave up, the idea of bravado dumb. We both knew I was in dire shape that day. "Thanks. For getting help, I mean." A strange silence fell, so I changed the subject. "Where's Two-Bit hanging at? I thought he'd be over this morning."

"He's sacked out at the house."

"Drunk?" I snorted, but Karen shook her head.

"Nope. He's been hanging out over at The Barnyard with Ma when she works her shift, making sure no one bothers her - seeing as how Curly... um, how Curly... got_ killed_ _.._.. there. You _did_ know about Curly... didn't you?"

My insides went cold. "Yeah, I knew."

"I guess the hours are catching up with him is all. He'll be awake later, I'm sure. Say, they ain't gonna take you away, are they? Your social worker?"

"Nah," I said softly, looking at the small circular scar on my finger, thinking of how different me and Curly were and where those differences had led us. "It wasn't me that caused it, so they ain't taking any action. I ain't going nowhere." From what Darry had told me, social services had closed their file on Curly. As far as they were concerned, he was just another juvenile delinquent who'd met his end like so many other East side juvenile delinquents would; sudden and violent.

She fiddled with some grass then reached for the box and held it out to me. "I brought you something."

"Shoes?" I teased as I opened the box. Inside the box were pictures.

"They're mine, photos I'd taken over the last few years. Two-Bit doesn't know about most of them, probably doesn't care about them either, but I thought they might help you. You know, with your memory block and all. I've got a couple more boxes under my bed. While you were sick, I went through them, found a few I thought you could use."

They were mostly pictures of her family and friends, but looking closer at details in the background, I could see what she was trying to show me. In one, Dallas was leaning against a tree at the lot, in another, Johnny was standing in the distance, swigging what looked like a Coke. The box was full of pictures like that, me and the guys all hanging out, oblivious to Karen and her camera. I gave her a disbelieving look.

"I swear, it ain't what you're thinking. It was to get pictures of Two-Bit, you guys just happened to be in the background. He's most uncooperative when it comes to pictures. Ma got me the camera for that reason, plus... I sort of like photography. I hope... when the time comes... if it's even possible..."

"What?" I laughed, wondering what she was getting at.

She pulled at her ponytail. "I hope I can go to school and study it is all, when I'm older. Think there's a chance?"

I was going to answer her, but froze when one picture crossed my eyes. I'd never seen it before, and all at once the pain in my side was forgotten. It was me and my dad, his hand on my shoulder with what looks like an approving smile on his face. I'd grown since this was taken. So much had happened ... so much time had passed.

"When did you take this one?" I barely breathed. She looked over then her face got all scrunched.

"I didn't."

"Right. C'mon, when did you take it?"

She looked surprised. "I _didn't_! Honest, Ponyboy! Maybe Two-Bit got to fooling with my camera or something, but I swear, I didn't take it. Look, the corners aren't even the same. That one's rounded. All mine are squared off."

Sure enough, all the other pictures had squared corners. Only that one stood out.

"What's the big deal?" she asked, glancing at it again. "It's just you and Darry. You've probably got dozens of shots like those."

"This isn't Darry," I said, cutting her off. "It's my dad."

She stopped, her gaze falling hard on the picture. "It is?"

I couldn't speak.

"Whoa."

I felt the same way.

"Well," she stammered when she spoke again. "Take it then. Go through them and keep whatever you want."

I looked at her, confused. _This _one I understood, but the rest? "Why?"

"Why not? You always get like this when someone tries to be nice? I thought you could use the pictures... for your sketchbook. If you don't want them, just give them here and I'll toss them out."

She reached for the box but I pulled it back, smiling. "Don't get riled. I'd like to have them. But, as far as my sketch goes, I think I'm back on track. Here..." I handed her the sketchpad, opening it to my drawing. "I think I'm over my memory block. Whaddya think?"

She scrutinized it, her nose wrinkling before looking up with a smile. "I think it's great. Much better than the others you did. Shoot Ponyboy, this one's _perfect!_"

I grinned, feeling it was perfect too.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose


	18. Flowing Waters

**Divining Rod**

Chapter 18

**Flowing Waters**

XXX

The sketch was done. I'd tinkered with it for the last two days, the bulk of it being completed yesterday leaving the detailing for today. I'd corrected every nuance until it was as good as I could get it; leaving my memory expressed in a sketch. It wasn't small - at 14" X 22" it was my largest work, but the larger area gave more room for all the details it needed. I cleared off half of the dresser top and sat it there, critiquing it from across the bedroom.

It was clearly Johnny and Dally, standing together on their end of the bridge. Johnny was wearing his jeans jacket with the collar flipped up while Dal leaned heavily on Johnny's shoulder, a Kool between his lips and a smirk on his face just like the one he'd had when I'd told him to go look at a sunset. The memory still made me laugh, Dal's expression so vivid, so real - it was hard for me to believe it hadn't happened; that I'd not been there.

While working on the drawing, I'd wondered what would've happened if I'd crossed the span. Would I have joined them forever or would it all have just disappeared? _Groan_, I was wondering way too much about stupid stuff. I gave the drawing another look and went to take a pain pill, my side bothering me again.

Darry was due to come home in an hour, Soda a little before that. I looked around, finding nothing worthwhile to do. Sure, there was the laundry to fold and the dishes to put away, but that didn't interest me. I wanted something to _do_... but there wasn't anything. Now that the sketch was finished, I was back to feeling like a tiger fenced in a way-too-small cage.

Darry didn't want me out roaming the ribbon yet, but being stuck indoors was getting on my nerves. The weather was perfect; a warm breeze blew while overhead a couple puffy clouds drifted along. Too nice to stay inside, I figured a walk would do me some good. A quick trip around the block couldn't hurt. No drama, no problems and I'd be back real quick. They'd never know.

Right. Sometimes I'm an idiot even to myself. Still, I found my shoes and headed out, shutting the door but not bothering to lock it.

XXX

Sweat dripped in my eyes, stinging just as I swung the hammer. "Damnit!" I cursed, low enough to keep the boss below from hearing but not Marty who was swinging a hammer next to me. He chuckled.

"Hit the nail, not your thumb. It works out better that way."

"Yeah yeah."

"Wanna come over later? Me and some of the guys are gonna hang out and have a brew. You're more than welcome."

It was tempting, I hadn't had a beer in months. Used to be I figured social services would show up for some lousy surprise inspection right when the buzz hit, but now I couldn't get the thought out of my head that somebody was going to break in when I wasn't home. They still hadn't caught the guy responsible for Curly's death, and who knew what idiocy Curly had said while trying to save his own skin. "Wish I could, but can't."

"Fine, just try to remember, you gotta live your life too. They're your brothers, not your kids."

_Kids would have been easier,_ I thought as I swung the hammer. I hit my finger again, cursing low just as before. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," I muttered, eager for the horn to sound so I could head home. Thirty minutes later, it did.

XXX

"Hey, anyone home?"

"Darry?" Soda called from the his bedroom. I didn't miss the slight hesitancy to it.

"Yeah, it's me. How was your day?" _Had to've been better than mine, _I thought.

"Great. Did you uh, tell Pony he could go out for a while?"

I laughed. "Right. He was just in the hospital last week, -" I started as I rounded the corner, seeing him staring at something on their dresser. " - and now he's in such prime shape -" I stopped suddenly. Something was wrong. "What is it?" I asked darkly.

He looked at me hard. "He ain't home."

"That's ridiculous. PONYBOY!" I boomed, knowing Ponyboy's ears could pick me up within a three house radius.

"Stop yelling, he ain't nowhere around. I've already checked."

"How 'bout Two-Bit's? That red-headed booze hound hasn't been hanging around quite as much, maybe he went down to his place."

"Tried that too. Karen said Pony wasn't there. Said she was gonna wake Two-Bit up, have him come over."

"What's that?" I asked, noticing the large pencil sketch of Johnny and Dal that Soda'd been staring at.

"Dunno. It wasn't here this morning."

I gave it a closer look. "He sketch this from a picture?"

"None I've ever seen. Besides, since when would Dal pose for a picture that wasn't a mug shot?"

I had to chuckle. "Yeah, no kidding." Out in the living room, I heard a loud _whap! _as the screen door slammed shut.

"Helloooo! Mathews and Mathews at your service!"

"Hey Two-Bit," I called, looking down the hall. Karen was with him, looking uncomfortably at the floor in my living room. She'd been coming over more than ever since school let out, why I hadn't figured out yet. "Karen, having a nice summer?"

"If Ma would let up on the freedom bit, it might be nice," she answered in an overly-bored voice. She was trying too hard to sound tough. Pony'd been the same way a few years ago too.

"Karen, let it go already," Two-Bit muttered plaintively. "I ain't got no leash on you..."

"May as well," she shot back. Her irritation was obvious.

"Trouble?" I mumbled to Two-Bit when he went for my fridge.

"Ma's nixed her freedom. Until that nut that did in Curly gets caught, she's got to stay with me or some of her girly friends. No roaming alone. Where's the kid?"

"That's what we hoped you'd know," answered Sodapop. "He ain't home and no one's seen him."

"Ordinarily," Two-Bit started while thoughtfully rubbing his sideburns, "I'd say that's his modus operandi..."

Soda cut him off. "- but not with him still being out of commission."

He leaned against a counter. "He leave a note or something?"

"Would we be asking if he'd left a note?"

Soda's frustration was showing. Interesting. Usually I was the one playing the heavy in keeping Pony's whereabouts known. I was just as concerned, but Soda was taking point on this one for once. Still, I didn't want him thinking he was alone in this. "We'll find him, Sodapop. Cool it."

I had an idea on why Soda's sudden change. While Pony was still in surgery, I'd cornered Two-Bit and demanded to know what had happened at my house, and not the watered down version I was sure he'd told the cops. It took a while, but eventually he gave me the lowdown on the battle Pony had fought. It wasn't a long story, just a sickening one. Imagining it was worse. Pony, covered in blood with a knife sticking out of him laying limp on the floor was not an image Soda was going to shake anytime soon. I could relate - I still had the image of our parent's mangled bodies burned in my own head to live with.

"How bout a clue?" Two-Bit tried again, a little less humorously.

"The only thing out of place is this..." Soda headed back to his room and returned with the drawing, tossing it on the table.

"Hey, don't mess that up!" Karen blurted out with sudden indignation. "He's had a hard enough time getting that right!"

I was surprised. "You knew about this?"

"Yeah... sort of..." She hesitated, turning a little pink in the cheeks. "He's shown me his drawings a few times. The first couple of drawings … he'd acted like he didn't want nobody looking at them. Said they weren't right, raking himself over the coals because he couldn't remember something. Then he started working on this one, and … well, he was real pleased with it. Said his memory was back."

Made me wonder what else he's shown her. I was gonna have to talk to him.

"Great, but that don't tell us where he is now, now does it?" Soda grumbled, rubbing his head.

"You could try the trestle," Karen suggested. We all looked at her.

"The what?"

She pointed at the drawing. "_That _thing, the trestle. That's where I followed him a few weeks ago. He said he liked it out there. Don't know why, it looked more like a mosquito farm if you ask me."

"Where's this at?" I'd never seen this place before or heard of an unused trestle laying nearby.

"It's real easy to find, once you find the path, that is. Out behind the high school ... past the football field near the far goal posts. There's a path. It's a little hard to find at first, but just look for the honeysuckle patch. It's close to that. Once you find the path, just follow it out. Eventually it'll lead you to the trestle."

"She can't be serious." Soda shook his head. "The hike to the school is almost two miles alone, then go _past_ it? He ain't in any shape for that ... plus I never heard of any trestle when I was there. Did you?"

I had to admit, I hadn't. But this was Ponyboy, a kid who surprised me with the impossible at times. "You got any better idea's?" I asked, feeling pressed for time.

He looked at the drawing again then searched the house with his eyes. "No," he answered, sounding more like he wished he did.

"Then get your shoes on. Two-Bit, can you hang here while we go check this out? If he comes home..."

"Don't worry, I'll tie him to a chair and make him recite the periodic table."

"Whatever. C'mon Soda, let's go."

XXX

Sweat beaded on my face and ran down my back in rivulets by the time I'd made it to the tree line. I stopped, leaning heavily on a birch while trying to catch my breath before continuing on. I hadn't intended to come this far, but my walk just carried me further and further from the house. Although I'd been a little winded, nothing had really hurt until I'd made it to the school, but I'd dismissed it as just a dull ache from being cooped up for so long. I didn't think anything more of it until now, but I'd come so far that I wasn't going to turn back. Not yet. Something was pulling at me to go on. Maybe just my own stupidity... but I had to see the trestle again.

The path was the same, winding here and there through the deep green vegetation covering the forest floor. It wasn't completely dark, wisps of sunlight sprinkled down through minute openings in the canopy. Finally, I saw it, the _Warning! Do Not Cross_! sign... and just in time. My side pinged in sharp protest and I had to stop, sitting down to rest in my usual spot midway on the trestle hovering just over the stream. I breathed in deep gulps of air but kept as quiet as I could, wiping the sweat as it dropped from my chin.

I watched the birds flitter by, hopping branch to branch. A squirrel jumped suddenly from a rock, running off into the woods before disappearing. Somewhere nearby, a woodpecker was drilling into a tree. Below, the water ebbed over rocks making small whirlpools in their wakes. The sights were dizzying, the sounds intoxicating, and before long I felt myself relax; the gentle breeze cooling my damp skin as I leaned back and closed my eyes, letting everything swirl around me.

The stress I'd felt for so long washed out of me, evaporating - like fog on a cool morning. Peace descended, filling the void left behind. It was over, they were gone. I couldn't live the rest of my life trying to bring them back, tormenting myself to hold on, to remember. I'd realized that _forgetting_ was actually okay. I'd forget details, sure; but I'd never forget_ them_. Like Dal had said, 'let it go'. Maybe he meant - let _them_ go. It was time. I had to move on.

I still had a lot of growing to do, a lot of living to do... that I was just at the dawn of my life and the past was history. Johnny himself had reiterated that it was all worth it, and he'd know more about that than me. What's more, he'd promised me that_ I'd_ be fine. I was still gold, and that was all that mattered.

"Ponyboy? Hey Pone? Wake up."

"Careful, Soda. Watch his side. Ponyboy, ya with us kiddo?"

Exhausted, I opened my eyes. Darry and Sodapop were hovering, both looking at me worriedly. "Aww, flip! How long was I asleep?" I mumbled, cotton-mouthed.

"That depends," Soda teased, concern and relief etching his face. "How long have you been sitting out here?"

"Didn't I say not to leave the house? Lord, Ponyboy... you could have..."

"Not now, Darry. Please?" I heard the pleading tone in Soda's voice and Darry backed off. Still, I knew I'd eventually get a lecture. They each threw down a hand to help haul me up then Darry pulled at my shirt to look at my side.

"At least you didn't tear anything," he assessed before backing off, his eyes scouring the rest of me. "You feel okay inside? Anything hurting?"

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Promise ya Dar, I'm sore, but I'm okay. Really, I just wanted to get out of the house for a while. I'd planned to be back before you guys got home, but I got real winded and needed to stop a sec, then... well..." I felt myself get all screwy, knowing I was in a losing situation with no way out. Soda saved me... again.

"Why'd'ja fall asleep?" Soda asked, his eyes searching mine for the truth.

"I took a pain pill, guess it didn't kick in until I got here. Honest, Sodapop, I'm fine. Tired, but fine."

"Well," he said, backing off and looking around, "as long as you're okay. Hey, is this the same bridge you drew with Johnny and Dallas?"

I nodded, glad someone had recognized it. "Yeah."

"Tuff work, kiddo. I think they'd have been proud. Well, Johnny at least," Soda softly laughed, a far off look in his eyes. "Who'd know with Dallas," he followed with a shrug. He was probably remembering the cold indifference Dally loved to project. Only now, I was pretty sure Dally would have liked that drawing just as much as anyone else. Maybe more.

"You guys used to come out here?" Darry wondered, a look of confusion staring at me.

"No, not really. I was just goofing off with the picture." I lied, but how was I supposed to explain the truth? They'd have me committed for sure.

Darry looked around, kicking a loose rock off the trestle, watching as it plopped into the water below. "It's getting late, you think you're okay to walk now?"

"In a minute." I wanted another look out over the trestle, knowing somehow that I'd never see it the same again. In time, others would find their way out here, littering and making a mess of things. Glancing out, I noticed there was already a cigarette butt laying in the grass by the stream. _Litterbug_, I thought, then stopped.

"What?" Soda asked, noticing my stillness.

"I just have to..." I didn't finish, going around Darry and pushed through the weeds and brambles to get down the slick slope to the stream bed.

"Ponyboy Michael, get back up here!" Darry demanded, obviously perturbed. "You're just bound and determined to land yourself back in that hospital..."

"I'm fine, Dar. Hold on." My side was stinging again, not liking all the stretching I was doing wrangling myself down the slope. I was grateful the butt was on my side of the stream – then realized it wasn't there just by accident. He'd tossed it there, it was proof! Granted, proof no one would ever believe, but it was proof nonetheless for me. It _had_ happened, and I_ was_ here – with them! I don't know _how_, but I was. I found the butt and picked it up. I stifled a laugh when I read the brand around the filter. It wasn't a Kool afterall. It was a Winston.

_Funny, Dal. Real funny!_

"Find anything interesting?" Soda drolled over the trestle top.

I slid the butt in my pocket and acted innocent. "Nah, just a rock. Looked like a half dollar from up there the way the sun was shining on it."

Darry met me halfway back, holding onto a sapling and gave me a push to get back up the slope. Soda pulled me the rest of the way. It was steep, but we all made it. "_Now_ are you ready to head home?" Darry asked. He was more than a little irritated.

"Yeah," I answered, sweaty and winded again. This time however, I felt okay with it. Darry took the lead, me and Soda following behind. After a while, Darry had distanced himself out from me and Soda but we'd kept him in sight.

"So, what's out here that's so interesting in the first place?" he asked quietly, I guessed to pass the time.

"Huh?"

"Why'd you keep coming out here? Especially being hurt like you are, and don't give me no cock-and-bull story neither."

"Deer. I had to see the deer."

He squirreled his face up. "You had to see_ deer_?" he asked disbelievingly.

I laughed a little. "Yeah, a doe and her fawn. They've come out the last few times I've been here. I wanted to see them again. See if they'd come."

"And did they?" he asked as the woods cleared. We were almost back to the football field.

I shook my head. "No."

"Oh. Maybe you can check another time,_ after_ you're healed up."

"Maybe." I took the hint but didn't bother telling him not to worry. I wouldn't return. Somehow, I knew they wouldn't return either. It wasn't because of a hunter, no... it was just a feeling, a hunch. Those deer were for me to see, and me alone. Wherever they were, they were safe... and no one would ever harm them again.

The end.

XXX

Calla Lily Rose

A/N Thank you, all you readers who have kept up with me and this story! As always, I write for you.. and hope the results are to your liking. Pardon my typos, for no matter how many times I edit, something always manages to get by me! As for the inevitable question of what happened to T.J. - he did what so many other drug pushers did then and now... faded into the background to find other victims later. I tried to find a way to insert that, but it never fit. So there you go.


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